Expect The Unexpected
by agent-mac
Summary: Updated! Kate goes undercover as bait to catch a serial rapist and murderer. The identity of the murderer is not who they expected. CHAPTER 28: Reality sets in for Kate and the fallout looks set to destroy her. UPDATED! NEW CHAPTER!
1. Chapter 1

**Resilience**

Rating: M (for the later parts)

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine; I do not own NCIS. There are, however, several characters in this fic that I have created.

Summary: Two murder cases force the team to go to extreme measures to solve them. Once it is over, will they ever be the same again?

Authors Note: This is my first fanfic ever, so I'd really appreciate some feedback. I would really like to take this opportunity to thank my editor, Anne Maree, and my ideas-machine, Loz. Your help and inspiration has been very much appreciated!

**

* * *

****Part 1**

"You know, I still don't know what you're tattoo is, Kate," Tony said, sitting at his desk in the bullpen.

"And it's going to stay that way, DiNozzo!" Kate quipped back.

"But I'm curious!"

"Well, you know what they say, Tony. Curiosity killed the cat."

"Are you saying I'm a tiger, Kate?" Tony said, winking at her and giving her a seductive look. Kate just rolled her eyes at Tony and shook her head in dismay. He gave a little roar and turned back to the game of solitaire on his computer.

Kate leaned forward in her chair and stared intently at the file in front of her for the one hundredth time since they received the case. It had been three weeks since Petty Officer Amanda Stone had been found murdered at Norfolk's naval base and they had reached a dead end. Another Petty Officer had found her body in a dark, unused room on the base. The Petty Officer was still in full uniform, her hands handcuffed behind her back, her throat had been slit and, according to Ducky's autopsy results, she had been raped quite violently as the wound on her neck bled out.

There had been no DNA or forensic evidence left at the scene and the team had spoken to almost every male officer on base at the time of her death, which Ducky had said was between 1800 and 1900 on the Thursday night. Petty Officer Stone worked under Commander Coleman in administration, so the Commander had been working closely with the team to try and solve the case, but it was to no avail.

"I am sick of this case, Tony!"

"I know what you mean. It's been three weeks and we don't have any concrete leads."

"Well you're obviously not working hard enough, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he walked in unannounced to the bullpen. Tony winced at being caught out. "I suggest we start back at the beginning." He took a seat at his desk and pulled out his copy of the file. He looked through the photos one by one, seeing if he had missed anything. "Right, let's talk about the victim and the way that she was positioned. Does that tell us anything about the attacker?" Gibbs looked over at Kate, seeing if her profiling expertise could help them.

"As Ducky said, the body wasn't moved after she died, so either the killer was interrupted or he just finished what he was doing and left."

"What is the more likely of the two, Kate?"

"I don't know," Kate said, sitting back in her chair and folding her arms across her chest in resignation. Frustration had set in. "We haven't found anything in her records to suggest she had a grudge against anyone or that anyone had a grudge against her. According to Coleman and every other person we've spoken to, Petty Officer Stone was a good officer, competent and enthusiastic."

"McGee, did you find anything at all in her phone records or bank accounts in the days leading up to her murder that suggests any foul play?"

"Uh, n-no," stuttered McGee, "there was no unusual activity regarding her bank account and her phone calls were just the usual ones."

"Tony!" Gibbs barked. Tony was sitting at his computer, continuing to play minesweeper, only half-listening to what was being said by his co-workers. "What have you found?" At the mention of his name, Tony took his eyes off his computer monitor and looked over at Kate, then to McGee, before letting his eyes meet the scary glare of his boss.  
"Nothing, Boss. I have nothing! This Petty Officer is practically perfect." He winked at Kate before continuing to speak. "I mean, look at her. She's young, pretty, good body…"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked again for the second time, interrupting Tony's evaluation of the physical attractiveness of the dead officer. "The fact that you find her attractive is not important. I'll ask you again. What have you found on Petty Officer Amanda Stone?"

"Ah, nothing, Boss," Tony said sheepishly. He looked over at Kate who was smirking at him. He glared at her, but she just continued to smirk at him. Gibbs growled in confusion.

"I need coffee," he said as he rose from his desk and strode out of the bullpen, leaving Kate, Tony and McGee staring at his back.

"If he's getting coffee, I'm getting food." Tony said as he stood up from his desk and put his jacket on.

"Is that all you think about?" Kate asked. Tony looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Kate, how well do you know me?"

"Too well," she replied, turning the page on the file. "Unfortunately," she added quietly, hoping that he didn't hear her.

"Then you would know that food is not the only thing I think about!" He winked at her again and blew her a small kiss. McGee watched the agents' animated conversation. "I think about a lot of things, Kate."

"Yeah, sex, women, fast cars and food."

"She's right, Tony," McGee piped up.

"Nobody asked for your input, Probie," Tony said, rolling his head to look at McGee. "But Kate," he said, turning his head back around to look at her, "I also think about…"

"Argh! I don't want to hear it, DiNozzo!" Kate said, interrupting him. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Only if you're coming with me!" He said, grinning at her from ear to ear.

"I'd rather swallow razor blades!" Kate retorted.

"Oh, come on, Kate! It's lunch time! I know you're as hungry as I am!"

"Your shout, DiNozzo."

"No way!"

"It wasn't a question, DiNozzo! Now hurry up!" She picked up her handbag and began walking towards the elevator.

"Tell Gibbs we've gone for lunch." Tony yelled over his shoulder to McGee as he ran to catch up with Kate.

They entered the elevator together and stood side by side. "So, where are you taking me for lunch?" Kate asked, turning to look at him.

"I was thinking we could go to the café around the corner. Great place! I met this hot chick there the other week."

"Tony!" Kate exclaimed. "I am not going to come to lunch with you if all you are going to do is talk about the latest 'love of your life'."

"Like I said before, Kate, I don't just think about food!"

"Ew! Tony! You are disgusting!"

"It's part of my charm!"

"You call that charm?" Kate said, raising her eyebrows at him. "That really just goes to show how clueless you are when it comes to women!" The elevator doors opened and they stepped outside together, making their way to the café.

* * *

While they waited for their meals to come, they talked about the current case that was fast becoming cold. "There has to be something that we're missing," Kate said, looking over at Tony.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "but we don't really have much to go on, either. The killer was good. Professional, almost."

"You think it was another marine, or an outsider?" Tony shrugged his shoulders in response. "I think it was another marine," Kate continued. "I don't know why, but that's just my gut instinct."

"Gut instinct?" Tony asked Kate. "Since when have you had a gut instinct?"

"Since I began working with Gibbs."

"Yeah, his influence does kinda rub off on you, doesn't it."

"Won't be long until you're building a boat in your basement, DiNozzo!" Tony screwed his face up at the thought.

"Kate, I am not a boat man. I am a car man."

"Well build one of those, then!" Kate said, chuckling at the thought of Tony making a car.

Their lunch arrived soon after and they both began eating. They ate their lunch fairly quickly, both wanting to get back to the office before Gibbs.

* * *

Kate and Tony entered the bullpen bickering forty-five minutes later, breathing a sigh of relief when they noticed that Gibbs wasn't there.

"Before you ask, Gibbs is back. He's in MTAC talking with Commander Coleman." McGee said as they sat behind their desks.

"Then it's a good thing we didn't ask then, Probie, isn't it?" Tony said.

"Ignore him, McGee," Kate said as she typed her password into her computer. "What's he talking to Coleman about?"

"I don't know," McGee replied. "He got a call on his mobile, grumbled a bit and then went straight up to MTAC."

"What's this about me grumbling, Agent McGee?" Gibbs said as he strode into the bullpen unannounced for the second time that day.

"Ah, n-nothing, B-Boss," McGee stammered. This time, it was Tony who smirked at McGee. "I was just telling Kate and Tony w-where you were." Gibbs opened his draw to his desk and grabbed his gun. He clipped it on his holster and threw the keys at Tony.

"Grab your gear. We've got another dead body at Norfolk."

"Again?" Kate asked, collecting her things from her desk.

"Not you, Kate. You're staying here. DiNozzo, McGee, you're with me."

"But Gibbs…"

"Pull everything you can find on Petty Officer Maria Silverman. No arguments, Agent Todd." Kate just stood there in the middle of the bullpen and watched as they entered the elevator.

Gibbs was a bastard, that was a given, but what had she done to deserve staying back at the office, pulling files on a Petty Officer? She'd never done this before.

"Bastard." Kate muttered to herself as she sat down and began collecting all of the information she could on Maria Silverman.

* * *

So, that's the end of Part 1. I hope you liked it! I'll try and post the next part as soon as I can! But before I do that, I'd really love some feedback! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Resilience**

Rating: T (will change to M soon)

Disclaimer: See Part 1

Author's Note: Thanks again to Anne Maree and Loz for all of their help! It's made writing this a lot easier!

Also, I have alreadywritten the first 12 chapters of this fic, but I will be posting them periodically. I'm just letting you all know that because some aspects of this story have appeared in other people's fics and I don't want you to think that I have stolen the ideas...

Thanks for all the fantastic reviews of Part 1. I'm glad you all liked it! Yes, there will be an eventual 'ship' in it, but at the moment, my lips are sealed! Until then... enjoy!

**

* * *

****Part 2**

"So, why are we going to Norfolk again, Boss?" Tony asked as they rode the elevator down to the car park.

"We got us another dead body, DiNozzo," Gibbs said in his usual manner, repeating what he had said just moments earlier. "Do you think I would go there just for fun?'

"With you, boss, I've learnt to expect the unexpected." Gibbs slapped the back of Tony's head.

"That wouldn't have been too surprising for you then, would it?" Gibbs said, referring to the slap.

"Ah, no, Boss. I've gotten used to that now. You realise it's been three years since you first hired me?" Gibbs groaned and McGee chuckled to himself.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Tony stood there in the elevator, totally quashed by what Gibbs had said.

"Aw, come on, Boss! I'm not that bad!" He turned around to face Gibbs in the elevator, who just raised his eyebrows in response. "I'm better than Probie. You have to admit that!" Gibbs didn't respond at all. "So why does Kate have to stay back and pull files?" Tony asked as they walked over to the truck.

"Her assistance in this case will be required later."

"Oh, I'm sure Kate will love that response."

"She doesn't have to like it." Gibbs deadpanned.

"So what were you talking to Commander Coleman about?"

"DiNozzo! Do you ever stop asking questions?"

"I thought that was part of my job!" He grinned broadly at Gibbs as he started the engine.

"The replacement for Petty Officer Stone has been found dead."

"That makes two P.O's in three weeks. At the same base, in the same position," Tony said as he drove out of NCIS.

"There must be a link between Stone and this new Petty Officer," McGee said from his position in the back.

"Well done, Probie. There's hope for you yet!" Tony exclaimed as he put his foot on the gas and sped off towards Norfolk.

* * *

Kate sat alone in the bullpen as she brought up Petty Officer Maria Silverman's file. She pressed print and walked over to the printer and waited for the file to come out. She began reading the Petty Officer's personnel file as she sauntered back to her desk. The Petty Officer had only been back on active duty for six weeks. She'd spent the last six months on leave. Kate turned the page to find out what type of leave Silverman had been on. Her eyes widened at the discovery.

Maternity leave. The Petty Officer had a five-month old baby girl.

She flicked back to the first page. Petty Officer Silverman was married to Lieutenant Robert Ellis, another Marine. She brought up his personnel file too. As the Lieutenant's file was printing, she continued to read Silverman's. It said she was an upstanding officer, and had never had any problems with any superior officer. She looked at where she was stationed and Kate's eyes widened again. Petty Officer Maria Silverman worked under Commander Coleman in administration in the same position as Petty Officer Stone. She picked up her phone and called Gibbs. He picked up after just one ring.

"Gibbs."

"Gibbs, it's Kate. I've just pulled Petty Officer Maria Silverman's file. She worked under Commander Coleman in admin."

"I know." Kate rolled her eyes.

"She's married to Lieutenant Robert Ellis and they have a five-month old daughter. She has only just returned from maternity leave."

"I know."

"If you know all of this, Gibbs, why am I pulling files on her?"

"Find anything you can that would tie her to Petty Officer Amanda Stone."

"Was she murdered in the same way?"

"From what the Commander told me through MTAC, yes."

"I'll meet you at Norfolk."

"No. You are to stay at NCIS, well away from Norfolk."

"Why?"

"Just do as I say, Kate."

"But Gibbs…" Kate's sentence was met by the dial tone. He'd hung up on her. She turned back to her computer and searched naval records for anything to connect Stone and Silverman.

As her computer searched the database, she put the two personnel records side by side. Both Petty Officers were twenty-six years old. They were both roughly the same build, worked in the same area, and both entered the navy roughly four years ago. From what she could tell, they had never served anywhere together. The only thing that really linked them together was that they both worked in the same position. Kate's mind raced through all the possibilities: Commander Coleman could have killed them, they could have been killed randomly, or it had something to do with their position. Kate recalled the Commander saying that Petty Officer Stone had only just been given the position in admin two weeks before she was murdered. Now, her replacement had been murdered. She picked her phone up again and called Gibbs.

"Gibbs."

"It's Kate."

"You found anything yet?"

"Both Petty Officers were murdered just two weeks after they were given the job in admin."

"Good. At least that gives us something to go on."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Gibbs?" Kate asked.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Agent Todd."

"I think they were both murdered by the person who wanted that position." Gibbs closed his phone and put it back in his pocket without even responding. Kate just shook her head. "He really is a bastard," she stated to no-one in particular.

"What did Kate find?" Tony said when Gibbs put his phone back in his pocket after the second phone call from Kate.

"It seems both our Petty Officers were murdered two weeks after taking up the position in admin."

"Someone with a grudge?" McGee said from the back before Tony had a chance to give his opinion.

"Looks that way," Gibbs responded. "Call Ducky, McGee. Get him to meet us there. Tony, drive faster."

* * *

Commander Coleman met them in the car park at Norfolk. "Special Agent Gibbs," she said frankly as he got out of the truck.

"Commander," he said gruffly. "Where's the body?"

"Same place as last time."

"Lead the way," he said as he grabbed a bag from the back of the truck. McGee and Tony followed behind Gibbs, staying well out of his way. They both knew that Gibbs and the Commander did not often see eye to eye and they didn't want to get involved in one of their 'heated discussions.' They reached the room and noticed the two marines standing either side of the door, guarding it.

"Who found the body?" Gibbs asked the Commander.

"Same security officer as last time. He was doing the daily check on all unused rooms on the base."

"Tony, photos. McGee, sketches." Gibbs bent down and looked at the body. Like the first officer, she was lying on her back in full uniform. Her hands were handcuffed behind her and she had a slit across her throat. Her skirt was up around her waist and her underwear was down around her ankles. She was pretty much in the same position as Petty Officer Amanda Stone.

"You think it's the same guy, boss?" Tony asked as he took photos of everything from all possible angles.

"Looks that way to me, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, standing up from the body. He walked over to Commander Coleman in the doorway. "Has anyone told the husband?"

"Yes. He's in my office now. He was on a day off, so I had him brought in."

"Get him to come back to NCIS when we leave here."

"He's not going to be able to help you, Gibbs."

"That's for me to decide, Faith." She shook her head in dismay, shocked at the fact that Gibbs would interrogate the widowed partner so soon after their death.

"Do you still need me here?" She asked.

"Nope. We've got it covered." The Commander nodded and left the room, leaving the three agents to gather any evidence.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ducky arrived with Jimmy in tow. "Oh, Jethro, this poor woman." Ducky said as he walked over to the body. "Do you think it is the same killer, Jethro?"

"It would make my job easier if it was, Duck, but I was hoping you would be able to tell me for sure."

"I will know more once I have her on the table in autopsy."

"Time of death, Ducky?"

"At this stage, it's impossible to say." Ducky bent down and touched the skin on the Petty Officer's bare legs. "But at the moment, I would have to say she was murdered approximately twenty or so hours ago." Gibbs, Tony and McGee all looked at their watches and looked between each other.

"Between 1800 and 1900," McGee stated softly. They all sighed.

"Right. All the photos are done, Boss," Tony said, breaking the silence.

"You finished those sketches, McGee?"

"Y-yes, boss."

"Duck? How long are you going to be?"

"Well, Jethro, this Petty Officer, much like that last one, has been left in such an interesting position. It reminds me of one of my first cases when I became a medical examiner back in London. Teenage girls were turning up all over the city,"

"Duck!" Gibbs exclaimed. He was not in the mood to hear stories from Ducky. "How long are you going to be?"

"Let me just look at a few more things before we move her, Jethro." The three agents moved to the doorway and watched Ducky look over the body, mumbling words to himself as he did so. "Well, what are you waiting for, Mr Palmer? Help me get this young lady back to autopsy," Ducky said a few minutes later. Jimmy fumbled about before moving to help Ducky move the slain Petty Officer.

* * *

When the Petty Officer's body had been removed, McGee looked closely at the floor of the room, scouring it for any extra pieces of evidence, but just like last time, there was nothing there to be found. No hairs or prints. This guy was meticulous. Gibbs made a mental note to ask Kate about the mental state of a meticulously clean person.

"Let's head back. I want this case wrapped up as soon as possible." Gibbs pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled a familiar, yet hated number.

"Commander Coleman," was the response after just two rings.

"I need a list of every single officer who applied for that position in admin."

"Well, hello to you, too, Agent Gibbs."

"Email it to Agent Todd."

"Is there a please in there at all?"

"I asked nicely," Gibbs said into the phone, smiling slightly.

"I'll email it now. Have you finished with the room?"

"Yes. It's all yours again. You can send your two marines back to their normal duties."

"What can you tell me about the murder?"

"Nothing at the moment, Faith," he said, using her given name. "I want that husband at NCIS within the hour." He snapped his phone shut. Commander Coleman was slightly offended at the fact that he had hung up on her, but she knew it wasn't personal. It was just how Gibbs operated. Gibbs re-opened his cell phone and pressed '2'. After a short moment, the phone was answered.

* * *

"Agent Todd," Kate said as she picked up the phone on her desk. 

"Commander Coleman is emailing a list of all the people who applied for that position in admin. I want all of their files on my desk by the time I get back."

"How long will you be?"

"We're leaving Norfolk now." Gibbs snapped his phone shut again and placed it in his pocket. Kate placed the phone back into its cradle and opened up her email. The list from Commander Coleman appeared on her screen. She threw her head back in frustration. There were fourteen people on that list. She still didn't understand why she had to stay back in the bullpen whilst the rest of them went to Norfolk. She scrolled down to the end of the email from the Commander and laughed out loud when she saw what she had written: 'Agent Todd, your boss really is a bastard. I don't know how you put up with him.'

* * *

Ok, so that's it for part 2... I'd still love some feedback on it; the more reviews, the faster I will post each chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Resilience**

Rating: Still T

Disclaimer: See Part 1

Author's Notes: Thanks again to Loz and Annie-M; you guys totally rock!

Thank you very much for all the wonderful reviews… as I said before, it will end up 'shippy', but at the moment, I don't know who I'll ship… or maybe I do… I like to keep everyone in suspense!

This chapter isn't as long as theprevious two, but trust me, the next few chapters are much longer!

Enjoy!

**

* * *

Part 3**

Gibbs, Tony and McGee entered the bullpen to find Kate standing by the printer, waiting for the fourteen personnel files to be printed out. "You got those personnel files for me, Kate?" Gibbs said as he unclipped his gun and placed it in his drawer.

"They're just printing out now, Gibbs. Was it the same M.O as the last one?"

"From what we can tell without the autopsy report, yes. Let's head down to Abby and give her the photos." Gibbs walked back out of the bullpen without waiting for his three agents to catch up.

Tony grabbed the camera out the bag and held it in front of Kate's face, taunting her. "You know, Kate, it was great out at Norfolk today." He pulled the camera slightly away from Kate, making her grab for it.

"Dammit, DiNozzo! Why the hell did Gibbs make me stay back here doing all the dirty work?" She said, still trying to get her hands on the camera.

"Maybe he thinks you're losing it. Perfectionists are usually the first one's to lose it!" Kate glared at Tony before turning sharply and walking over to the elevator.

"That was a bit harsh, Tony," McGee said quietly.

"No one asked for your opinion, Probie. Now hurry up! You know better than to keep Gibbs waiting." Tony walked quickly to the elevator and stepped in beside Kate just as the doors were closing. Kate rolled her eyes as Tony entered the elevator, making her annoyance at his childish antics obvious. "Don't be such a party-pooper, Kate!" Tony exclaimed. "I'm sure Gibbs had his reasons for leaving you here all by yourself."

"Yeah, well we'll probably find out soon enough," Kate said as they exited the elevator and walked into Abby's lab. Gibbs was already there, watching in amazement as Abby drank half a Caf-Pow!

"Hey Abbs!" Tony called out as he entered the lab.

"Tony!" Abby exclaimed. "Nice of you to come and visit me today! And you brought me some photos!"

"Hey Abby!" Kate said in a subdued tone.

"Kate!" Abby shrieked. Kate winced at the pitch. "Ouch! Someone does not look happy today."

"You wouldn't be either if Gibbs dumped you as a field agent!" Tony said, speaking before Kate even had a chance to respond to the question herself.

"He what!" Abby shrieked again. "You did what! Gibbs! How could you do that?" Gibbs glared back at Abby.

"He had me pulling files," Kate said flatly, "whilst they were looking at a dead P.O in Norfolk."

"Gibbs! I'll ask you again; how could you do that! How could you just leave Kate here?" She turned around and stared back into Gibbs' deep blue eyes.

"I have my reasons," Gibbs said, never breaking the eye contact with Abby.

"Which are? Gibbs, I'd seriously like to know," Kate said, trying to get his attention.

"You will find out once we've finished going through these photos. Tony, give Abby the camera." Abby held her hand out expectantly. When Tony gave her the camera, she pulled her eyes away from Gibbs and took the memory card out of the device. She stuck it in her computer and watched as the photos appeared on the screen "Put them on the plasma, Abbs," Gibbs said, walking over to stand in front of the giant screen. Tony and Kate followed and stood either side of him, peering over his shoulder.

"Hinky!" Abby exclaimed as she saw the first photos. Kate took a deep breath. "It's like a carbon copy of the one a few weeks back."

"That's because it is a carbon copy, Abbs," Tony said turning to face her. "Same M.O., same killer."

"I'll print them out for you. They shouldn't take too long. Where's Tim?" Gibbs turned around to look at Abby, just as he walked into the lab.

"McGee!" Gibbs growled, "what the hell took you so long? If Tony and Kate can make it down here without taking forever, then I expect you to do the same."

"Y-yes, Boss. S-sorry. But there was a phone call for you."

"Who was it?"

"It was Commander Coleman, boss." Gibbs rolled his eyes and turned back to the plasma screen. "She's waiting for you in MTAC."

"Better not keep the Commander waiting, Boss," Tony said cheekily, looking at various vials of substances on the bench in Abby's lab. "I know how much you look forward to talking with her." Gibbs glanced over at Tony who didn't even look up. He turned on his heel and walked out of the lab, slapping Tony on his head as he passed him.

"Ow!" Tony exclaimed, wincing from the force of the slap. Kate, Abby and Tim just looked at him and laughed before the three agents made their way up to MTAC, leaving Abby alone in her lab. Gibbs was still waiting for the elevator when they caught up, so the four of them rode together in silence.

* * *

"DiNozzo, Kate, McGee, follow me," Gibbs said as the elevator doors opened. They walked into MTAC and Gibbs stood facing the screen, his face giving nothing away. Kate, Tony and McGee sat back in the chairs behind Gibbs, content on watching the conversation between the Commander and their boss.

"We should have brought popcorn," Tony whispered softly into Kate's ear. Unfortunately, it wasn't soft enough and he earned himself a hard stare from Gibbs. Kate tried hard to refrain herself from laughing.

"What do you want, Commander?" Gibbs said as he turned back to the large screen in front of him.

"I want to know what you have found, Gibbs. This is the second assistant of mine that has been murdered."

"We haven't found anything yet, Commander. We don't have many leads."

"Lieutenant Ellis is on his way over to NCIS at your request. Can I help in anyway?" Gibbs didn't respond to the Commander's question. Instead he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at her expectantly. "Was that list of names useful?"

"We're looking into that now. There aren't many other options."

"The only option we have at the moment is that matter we discussed earlier," the Commander said to Gibbs. Tony looked at Kate and McGee.

"What matter?" He whispered into Kate's ear. Both Tim and Kate shrugged their shoulders.

"Like I said earlier, Commander, we have very little to work with. It has left us with no choice. We will be ready for you at 0700 on Monday morning." He took his left hand out of his pocket and gestured to the technician to cut the live feed. The image of the Commander flickered then disappeared, leaving the large screen blank. Gibbs turned around and looked at his agents. "The dead Petty Officer's husband is on his way over here."

"You're going to interrogate the husband, Gibbs?" Kate said, unsure of whether it was a good idea. "He's just lost his wife." They began walking out of MTAC and made their way to the bullpen.

"She was killed last night. I want to know why her failure to go home was not reported and whether or not he was worried."

"Gibbs." Kate said quietly as they walked down the stairs. "Be nice." Her comment earned a smug look from her superior.

"What was the other matter you discussed with the Commander?" Tony asked.

"You'll find out later."

* * *

So, that's it for chapter 3. I really hope you like it. As usual, if you want to see another chapter, I'dreally appreciatesome reviews; it's great to get them! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Once again, I owe a huge big "Thank You!" to Loz and Anne-Maree… you guys are my lifesavers!

Also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic… it's greatly appreciated!

This part reveals more of the plot, and from here, things start to get VERY interesting! Enjoy!

**

* * *

Part 4**

They all sat at their respective desks and began flicking through the personnel files of the fourteen Petty Officers who had applied for the position in admin. "Special Agent Gibbs," a security officer said as he entered the bullpen. "Lieutenant Ellis is here for you." He stepped aside and a distraught man walked up behind him. Gibbs stood up from his desk.

"Lieutenant," Gibbs said, greeting the man. "I just want to ask you a few questions." The man nodded in response.

"What about Sophia?" The lieutenant asked as he looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. Gibbs scanned the bullpen.

"Agent Todd will look after her," Gibbs said as his eyes settled on Kate. Kate's mouth dropped open and Tony just smirked. The lieutenant walked slowly over to Kate and nervously placed the baby in her arms. Kate was momentarily shocked, but soon relaxed as the baby settled into her hold. The lieutenant placed a bag beside Kate's desk. Tony was grinning broadly at the sight of Kate with a baby in her arms. She looked down at Sophia and noticed how cute she was.

"DiNozzo, you're with me. McGee, keep going through those files, and Kate, look after her." Gibbs began walking out of the bullpen and the Lieutenant followed closely behind.

"Always knew you were the motherly type, Kate. This must have been what Gibbs had in mind for you!" Tony winked over at Kate as he made his way to the interrogation room with Gibbs, leaving Kate no chance to respond. She just glared at his retreating back vowing that one of these days, she would shoot him. Sophia wriggled in her arms and let out a small cry.

"Shhh," Kate said quietly, gently rocking the baby in her arms. Sophia began crying. Kate looked over at McGee who just looked at her with a clueless expression on his face. Kate stood up and began pacing up and down the aisle dividing the desks, cradling Sophia, rocking her gently in an attempt to hush the escalating cries. After a few minutes, the baby's crying subsided and Kate walked back over to her desk.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in interrogation, Gibbs was questioning the Lieutenant. "What was the relationship with your wife like, Lieutenant?"

"It was fine, sir."

"Were you having any problems?"

"No, sir."

"Were you worried when she didn't come home last night?"

"Yes I was, sir."

"Did you try and find her? Report her missing?"

"Yes, sir. I tried calling her cell phone, but she didn't respond." Gibbs wrote a few notes on the pad of paper in front of him.

"Did you go out and look for her?"

"No, sir. I was at home looking after Sophia. She was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her." Gibbs nodded. "Agent Gibbs, what happened to my wife?" Gibbs sighed.

"She was murdered."

"How?"

"We don't know at this stage. We're looking into it." The lieutenant nodded in response. "Do you know of anyone who wanted to harm your wife? Was there anyone who held a grudge against her?"

"No, my wife was fairly well-liked by the other officers." Tony stood in the observation room and watched the exchange between the former marine and the navy lieutenant. Gibbs stood up and picked up his writing pad.

"I realise this must be hard, Lieutenant. I'm sorry for your loss." He extended his hand out to the navy officer. The handshake was brief yet firm. He looked at Gibbs directly.

"Please find whoever hurt her. I want justice."

"We will." Together they left the interrogation room and met Tony in the corridor.

* * *

They walked in the bullpen to see Kate playing with Sophia. The sight of their usually tough Special Agent smiling and talking to a baby brought smiles to all of their faces, including Gibbs.

"Cute, Kate, cute!" Tony said as he moved around to stand behind Kate who was now sitting in her chair nursing Sophia. He put one had on the back of Kate's chair and ran his other hand lightly over the baby's head. "She's gorgeous." Tony turned his head to look at Kate. She turned to look up at Tony, not realising just how close they really were. They stared deep into each other's eyes. Tony broke the silence. "Glad you finally found someone to communicate with at your own level!"

"No, Tony, it's just like spending a day with you!" Kate said, slightly flustered.

"Cut it, you two," Gibbs said as he sat down at his desk.

"Thank you for minding her, Agent Todd," Lieutenant Ellis said as he took Sophia out of Kate's arms. "I hope she wasn't any trouble."

"No, not at all. She was an angel, wasn't she McGee?"

"Yes, very well behaved!" Tim said, looking up from the files at the mention of his name. Kate picked up the baby bag off the floor and handed it over to the lieutenant.

"Bye, sweetie!" She said, touching Sophia lightly on the nose. Lieutenant Ellis walked out of the bullpen.

"Back to work, everyone," Gibbs said once the lieutenant was out of earshot. "McGee, have you got anything from those files?"

"Only four men applied for that position. The other ten were women."

"We can't discount the women until we have spoken to them," Gibbs said flatly.

"I don't think any of the female officers would have had the strength to do it, but we will speak to them, boss."

"So, what about the male officers, McGee?"

"They are all Petty Officers."

"That's not important, Probie," Tony said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. "Do any of them have any aggressive tendencies? Do any of them disrespect women? I think that was what Gibbs wanted to know." Tony smirked across the bullpen at the younger agent. Both Kate and Gibbs rolled their eyes.

"I haven't gotten that far yet, Boss. I'll get onto that now," McGee said, turning his attentions to his computer.

"Boss?" Tony asked. Gibbs rolled his eyes again and looked over at Tony. "What was that 'matter' you were talking about with the Commander?" Kate looked over at Gibbs as she organised some papers on her desk, waiting anxiously for an answer.

"The way that we are going to have to solve this case if the interviews we conduct tomorrow don't amount to much."

"And how are we going to solve it?" Gibbs stared at Tony blankly, the expression on his face not giving anything away.

"We'll see how it goes tomorrow before I decide whether or not this action will be warranted. Now let's head down to autopsy to see what Ducky has for us."

* * *

The doors to autopsy swished open, announcing the agents' arrival. "Ah, Jethro, I suppose you are here to find out how this young lady died."

"Sure am, Duck. What can you tell me?"

"Well," Ducky said moving over to the body. Gibbs followed Ducky to one side of the table whilst Tony and Kate stood on the other, McGee hanging back slightly. Palmer stood at the foot of the cold metal table and watched on intently. "She has a laceration to the neck, eleven centimetres in length. That was what caused her to die. She bled out. Judging by the bruising on her arms and legs, I'd say that there was a large weight on top of her when she died. I put the time of death between 1800 and 1900."

"Same as last time?" Kate questioned.

"I'm afraid so, young Caitlin. She was also sexually assaulted, raped, actually, and I can tell that she has had a child recently. She is still lactating." All four agents looked at each other, momentarily pausing to remember baby Sophia, who would forever be without a mother. "I couldn't find any traces of semen, no hairs or skin cells, but I have taken some swabs which I have sent up to Abby with Mr Palmer."

"Do you think it will show anything?" Tony asked, shifting his weight from his left foot to his right.

"No, I don't think it will. I think he even wore a long-sleeved shirt because there are no skin cells under the victims' fingernails." The four agents sighed. "You know, when I was a young ME in London, there was a female body who turned up on my table one day without a single mark on her. No poisons in her system either."

"Ducky!" Tony exclaimed, rolling his eyes at the medical examiner on the opposite side of the autopsy table.

"Will listening to this story help us, Ducky?" Gibbs asked. Ducky shook his head dismally and shrugged his shoulders.

"It was just an interesting story, that's all."

"Let's go through all those personnel files again, prepare ourselves for interrogations tomorrow." Gibbs slapped Ducky on the back and walked out of autopsy. Tony, Kate and McGee followed closely behind.

* * *

As darkness began to encroach on the city outside, the four agents sat silently at their desks reading through each officer's personnel files. "So, who's interrogating whom tomorrow, Gibbs?"

"Tony and I will take them." McGee looked over at Kate, surprised that she wouldn't be conducting any of the interrogations. Tony sat in his chair looking smugly over at Kate.

"Why aren't I taking any of them?" Kate asked. Gibbs sighed; the truth was going to have to come out now.

"I can't run the risk of you being seen by any of the officers. If these interrogations don't work out, you're going to be sent in undercover." Kate's jaw dropped in shock.

"What?"

"You will be going undercover as a Petty Officer at Norfolk if we don't get anything from the interrogations tomorrow."

"You can't be serious!" Kate exclaimed. Gibbs tilted his head at her.

"Do I ever joke, Agent Todd?"

"Boss, you can't send Kate in as bait for a rapist," Tony said, shocked that Gibbs had planned this without mentioning it to either of them first. Kate glared at Gibbs from her desk. She didn't like the thought of being bait to catch a man who had already raped and killed two women, but she knew that she didn't have much of a choice.

* * *

Well... looks like Kate's going undercover... or is she! Ha ha ha... you'll have to wait until I post chapter five to find out more! Once again, I'd love some reviews! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: They're not mine… if they were, Kate would still be alive!

Author's Notes: Thanks to Annie-M and Loz… you guys are champs! I don't know what I would do without you!

Thanks also to everyone for the fantastic reviews! I love reading them because it gives me more confidence to write more because I know that you are all enjoying it!

**

* * *

Part 5**

Gibbs was already hard at work when Kate arrived the next morning. He sat there, coffee in hand, looking through the photos from both of the crime scenes. "Morning, Gibbs."

"Morning, Kate," Gibbs said without looking up from the photos. "I want you to start profiling this killer."

"They haven't given me much to go on."

"Agent Todd, you are a trained criminal profiler. You have to be able to make a few concluding statements about him."

"Who says it's a 'him'?"

"You think otherwise?"

"Even though the Petty Officers were raped, they could have used a similar-shaped object. We can't rule it out," Kate said as she removed her jacket, placing it neatly over the back of her chair. She put her handbag in her bottom drawer, turned her computer on and sat down. "This guy is meticulously clean. He doesn't leave any thing at the scene. I think he might even go as far as to actually clean up as much as he can. He wears gloves and condoms, yet he is extremely violent." Kate paused and typed in her password. She looked over at Gibbs who nodded, waiting for her to continue. "I'd say that their childhood was hard, traumatic even, and lacked control. The fact that they are so thorough now is them trying to make up for the lack of control they experienced as a child."

"How well thought-out are these attacks?"

"I would say they are fairly well planned, considering he hasn't left any forensic evidence." Gibbs nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, all fourteen officers are going to be interrogated here. I don't want you to be seen at all in case you have to go undercover at Norfolk. They're all being brought here together at 0900. McGee will keep an eye on them whilst I conduct the interrogations. I want you in the observation room at 0830." Kate nodded silently. They both turned to their computers, and began working in silence.

McGee walked into the bullpen quietly, soon after Kate. He acknowledged the two agents, already working diligently, and they acknowledged him in return. McGee followed their lead and began reading through the personnel files again. He knew they had to have the upper hand today during the interrogations.

They would be going into dangerous territory if today didn't go well.

The comfortable silence was shattered when Tony arrived for work roughly twenty minutes after McGee. He threw his bag up against his filing cabinet and was talking loudly on his cell phone. "Stop calling me, you arsehole! You've got the wrong number. I am not selling American stamps from the 1960s!" Tony snapped his phone shut and threw it in the general direction of his desk. Gibbs, Kate and McGee looked up as they heard Tony shouting into his phone, and were startled when he threw his phone down on his desk and saw it bounce onto the floor, finishing near his bag.

"Something wrong, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said dryly.

"Yeah, Boss, some wanker made an error in the classifieds. All morning I've had people ringing my cell wanting to buy my stamp collection." He sat down in his chair and threw his hands in the air. "Who the hell collects stamps, anyway?"

"Aw! Poor baby!" Kate said, smiling over at him.

"Actually, Tony, a lot of people collect stamps. They're quite valuable."

"When I want your input, McGeek, I'll ask for it."

"It's different when they call at all hours asking for 'Spanky' though, isn't it?" Kate cracked. Tony pursed his lips together and breathed deeply. "Tell me, Tony, why is it that they call you Spanky?" Tony looked set to respond when Kate continued. "No, actually don't answer that. I don't think I want to know!" Tony's phone began ringing. Tony looked over at it on the floor. His eyes glazed over with fury.

"See? This is what I have had to put up with all morning!" Tony said as he reached for his cell. He flicked it open and brought it up to his ear. "DiNozzo!" He said harshly. He listened for a moment then without even responding, he snapped his phone shut.

"More stamp collectors?" Kate asked. Tony glared back at her, not saying a word.

"It's time you got to work," Gibbs said, his eyes never leaving the page in front of him, "Spanky," he added quietly. He took another sip of his coffee and continued to read.

* * *

"Right," Kate said as she stood up a short time later. "I'm going down to wait for you in observation." She put her jacket on and picked up her files.

"You're not seriously going to go undercover are you, Kate?" Tony asked, trying to mask the worry in his voice.

"I don't have a choice, Tony," Kate said plainly. She walked down to observation alone, knowing that she had at least another thirty minutes before Tony would be joining her in the small room.

She did have a choice, and she knew it, but her boss was Gibbs. When he says 'jump', you say, 'how high?' The next few hours were going to be hell. She was going to have to sit there and watch Gibbs and Tony interrogate Petty Officer after Petty Officer, profiling them as they went along.

* * *

She walked into the observation room where the technician was fiddling with the audio controls. She greeted the man with a slight smile before she sat down on a chair and stared into the empty interrogation room. After a short while, the cell phone in her pocket began to ring. "Agent Todd," she stated simply.

"You need anything down in observation?" It was Tony.

"No, I'm fine, Tony. I've got everything I need."

"Except a man!" Tony stated. Kate was speechless. "When was the last time you went on a date Kate?"

"Tony, that is none of your business,"

"What's your business is my business! That's a nice looking sandwich you've got today!"

"Get out of my desk!" Kate shouted into the phone.

"I'm not in your desk!" Tony said, taunting Kate.

"I can't believe you, Tony! I leave my desk for five minutes and you've already gone through it!" Kate took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The door to the interrogation room opened. Kate's eyes fixed themselves on the entrance, waiting to see who would appear. Tony stuck his head into the interrogation room and looked into the two-way glass. He snapped his cell closed and walked over to stand in front of where he presumed Kate to be on the other side. He gave her one of his cocky grins and winked.

"Told ya I wasn't looking through your desk!" Kate shook her head in dismay. Tony walked out of the interrogation room and joined Kate in observation. "Looks like it's just you and me, sweetie. Gibbs has decided that he will be doing all of the interrogations and McGee's baby sitting the other Petty Officers." He sat down at the audio control and put his feet up. The audio technician finished setting the volume controls up and left the observation room unnoticed.

"Don't call me 'sweetie', DiNozzo. I am not one of your conquests."

"You could be if you want to be!" Tony cracked back.

"Why would I want to be one of your conquests?"

"Because you're desperate to get laid, Kate, I can see it in your eyes!"

"Contrary to conventional belief, Tony, eyes can lie," Kate spat, repeating something Gibbs had told her several months ago. Tony was a little surprised by the tone Kate had taken with him. He watched as she put her cell back in her pocket and begin leafing through the files that she had in her lap. They sat there in silence until a Petty Officer was led into the room.

Tony looked over at Kate to see if she had noticed the Petty Officer's entrance. Kate turned her head to look at over at Tony and met his eyes briefly. He tried to read the emotions running through her eyes, but Kate was very good at guarding them and keeping everyone else at bay. He tore his eyes away from her and looked into the monitor in front of him, just as Gibbs entered the interrogation room to talk with the first of fourteen Petty Officers. When Tony broke the eye contact, Kate looked down at the fourteen files in front of her and pulled out the one matching the Petty Officer sitting on the other side of the glass. Petty Officer Lynette England sat anxiously in her chair, unsure of why she had been brought in for questioning.

* * *

Well, that's it for chapter 5! Hopefully you are still intrigued as to who did it and what's going to happen to Kate! Reviews would be great! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS… if I did, there would be one character that would still be alive (and I'm not talking about Ari!)

Author's Notes: Thank you to Annie-M and Loz… your help is much appreciated!

Also, thank you for the reviews. I like hearing your opinions on my fic! Just a little note though- I'm from Australia and spent last year living in England and Italy- if some of my phrases are more British or Australian, I apologise!

Anyways… on with the next chapter to my fic! I also apologise about the length of this chapter too... it's fairly long!

**

* * *

Part 6**

Gibbs dropped his pile of folders in front of Petty Officer England and sat down. He crossed his legs and looked her straight in the eyes. The officer in front of him looked down at her hands. He waited until she looked up again before he started to speak. "This is a very interesting case, Petty Officer," Gibbs said plainly. She gave him a questioning look. "I'm talking about the murders of Petty Officers Stone and Silverman. What can you tell me?"

"I don't know anything about that, sir," Petty Officer England said meekly. "I was friends with Petty Officer Stone. I didn't know Petty Officer Silverman very well, but she seemed nice."

"She seemed nice?" Gibbs asked, tilting his head to one side.

"She had only been back on base for a few weeks, but everyone liked her."

"If everyone liked her, then why is she lying on an autopsy table downstairs in my morgue?"

"I don't know, sir."

"What about Petty Officer Stone? Was she as well-liked as Petty Officer Silverman?"

"I think so. I never had any problems with her. We worked in the same office area, and we got along fine." Gibbs looked down at the unopened files in front of him. He rose from his seat and walked out of interrogation and into the observation room.

"She's not involved, Gibbs," Kate said, writing some notes on the back page of Petty Officer England's file. 

"Are you sure?"

"Gibbs, she may be a marine, but look at the size of her. She's barely five foot three. She'd only weigh about 120 pounds. Both Petty Officers were bigger than her. Not by much, but they were. She wouldn't have been strong enough to hold them down. And her body language is open. She doesn't have anything to hide." All three watched as the petty officer was taken out of interrogation and observed Petty Officer Alana Smith being brought in. Petty Officer Smith said roughly the same things as Petty Officer England, as did the next four Petty Officers: Katrina Dowd, Alicia McAthur, Bianca Ryan and Katherine White. In between each interrogation, Gibbs found himself talking to Kate and Tony in the observation room about their opinions. It wasn't until Gibbs conducted his seventh interrogation of the morning with Petty Officer Elizabeth Fitzgerald, did they actually gain any further information.

"What can you tell me about Petty Officers Stone and Silverman?" Gibbs had asked.

"Not a lot. They were both well-liked amongst other officers," Petty Officer Fitzgerald replied. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"You know, Petty Officer, I'm getting pretty sick of hearing that response. They're dead. Someone mustn't have liked them a hell of a lot," Gibbs glared down at the Petty Officer. "Do you know of anyone who didn't like them?" Petty Officer Fitzgerald thought deeply before she replied.

"There is this one Petty Officer, Lucas Santiago, who didn't like Marie. He was pretty jealous of her."

"In what way, Petty Officer?"

"Word around the base is that he and Marie used to date when they were younger, but they split up when she met Lieutenant Ellis." She paused and waited for Gibbs to say something. When he didn't, she continued. "I mean, of course it's just all rumours, but I know he wasn't happy when she got the job in admin."

"What about Petty Officer Stone? Did he like her?"

"He didn't like her, but that was no secret. He always thought she was a brown-noser." Gibbs nodded, and just as he had done in each of the previous interrogations, he stood silently and left the room.

Kate was already re-reading Lucas Santiago's file when Gibbs entered the observation room. He stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Kate or Tony to make a comment. "Petty Officer Lucas Santiago," Kate said reading from his file, "has been disciplined four times in as many years for unacceptable and inappropriate comments made about other female officers." Gibbs walked over to Kate and read the file over her shoulder.

"Why wasn't he dismissed from the navy?" Tony asked, looking at the monitor, his eyes focussed on Petty Officer Fitzgerald.

"It says here that he submitted a written apology to each of the officers. The apology was accepted every time and no further action was ever taken."

"I want to question him last." Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and called McGee, telling him to make sure that Lucas Santiago was the final Petty Officer to be sent down to interrogation.

"Uh-oh," Kate said reading further down the page.

"What?" Gibbs asked, not liking the tone Kate had used.

"One of the female officers was Marie Silverman."

"Shit!" Gibbs said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "How did we miss that?"

"I don't know, Gibbs. I mean, we all looked through this file. We all missed it," Kate said.

"Shit happens, Boss," Tony said, stating the only explanation he thought possible.

"It sure does, DiNozzo."

"Do any of these Petty Officer's have an alibi for the times of the murders?" Kate asked, suddenly aware of the fact that Gibbs' hadn't asked any of the Petty Officers where they were.

"The females were all with Commander Coleman both times, a training course in spreadsheets or some gote rope crap."

"So why are we interviewing the women when they're all in the clear?" Tony asked.

"It pays to be thorough, DiNozzo." Tony ducked, preparing to be slapped on the head by Gibbs, but turned around slowly when no slap came his way.

"Do you think Commander Coleman is involved in anyway?" Kate asked cautiously.

"Her bark is bigger than her bite," Gibbs said. "I should know," he finished, a smirk appearing on his face. Kate and Tony looked at Gibbs with shocked expressions on their faces. Gibbs made his way over to the door. As he opened it, he turned around and looked at his two stunned agents. "What? You don't think I only go for redheads, do you?" With that, Gibbs left Kate and Tony alone in observation and entered the interrogation room for interrogation number eight; Petty Officer Jessica MacKenzie.

"Did he just say what I thought he said?" Tony asked, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"I think so," Kate said, looking over at Tony, his feet still up on the table. "Maybe this is just some kind of weird dream."

"Kate, weird would hardly be a word I would use to describe a dream with Gibbs in it." Kate chuckled, and Tony shuddered at the thought of a dream involving Gibbs. "What word would you use to describe a dream with me in it?"

"Dream isn't the word I would use. Nightmare would be the more appropriate term." Tony rolled his eyes at Kate's quick comeback and looked to the monitor in front of him where Gibbs had just begun talking with Petty Officer MacKenzie. "Erotic," Kate mumbled under her breath. She could feel Tony's eyes on her and it took all of her self control to keep her eyes glued to the back of Gibbs' head on the other side of the window. She was thankful that, due to the dark lighting in the observation room, Tony wouldn't have been able to see the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"You know, Kate, I should have brought popcorn and a loveseat! That way we could have watched Gibbs interrogate fourteen petty officers in style!" Tony said, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence. Kate sat back in her chair and rolled her eyes. She looked down at her watch and noticed that the time was 10.30am. Kate sighed. It really was going to be a long day, especially since they were only half way through the interrogations, and Kate had a feeling that the final four were going to be the longest of them all. Tony stood up and stretched his muscles. "I'm going to get food. You wanna join me?"

"Can't leave observation, Tony. I'm stuck in here til the Petty Officer's leave," Kate said.

"I'll bring you something back then. What do you want?" Kate looked at Tony, surprised that he had offered to get her something to eat.

"Um, yeah, that would be great," Kate said, somewhat lost for words. "Could you grab me a juice and health bar from the vending machine?"

"Sure, Kate. Anything else?" Tony asked suggestively.

"A health bar and a juice will be fine, Tony. Thank you." He gave her a cocky grin and left Kate alone in the interrogation room.

Tony returned a few minutes later with his hands full. In his left hand, he had a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of coca-cola, and in his right, he had a health bar for Kate, and a chocolate bar and a bag of twisties for himself. He had his cell phone in between his teeth. He handed Kate her health bar and juice and walked back over to his seat. "Tony! How can you eat all that crap and still look so, uh, I mean, ah, not put on any weight?" Tony looked over at Kate with a bemused expression on his face when he realised what she had said, or almost said. Kate's cheeks flushed a dark shade of crimson, and for the second time that morning, she thanked her lucky stars that the observation room was dark. She tried to cover up what she had just said. "Well, I mean, look at what you're eating. It's ten thirty in the morning, DiNozzo, and you're eating chocolate and chips."

"The perks of having such a fast metabolism, Kate," He said, grinning broadly at her. "That and the fact that I exercise regularly!" He gave Kate a suggestive wink.

"Argh, DiNozzo. You have a one-track mind." Tony opened the bag of twisties and stuck his arm out, offering them to Kate. "Unlike you, DiNozzo, I don't want to pump my body full of crap." She smirked at him as Gibbs re-entered the observation room. His interrogation with Petty Officer Jessica MacKenzie hadn't turned up anything new.

"You get me a coffee, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked when he noticed that both Kate and Tony were eating. Tony looked over at Kate for some support.

"I, ah, didn't get you one, Boss," Tony said timidly.

"Well, get me one, DiNozzo. I have been interviewing Petty Officers all morning." Gibbs turned on his heel and walked out of observation, arriving in the interrogation room at the same time as Petty Officer Janette Lewis.

"Run along, Tony! You better go and get Gibbs his coffee," Kate said sweetly.

"How was I supposed to know Gibbs wanted a coffee?" Tony asked Kate, annoyed at the fact that he had aggravated Gibbs.

"Gibbs is addicted to coffee, DiNozzo. It doesn't take an idiot to figure that out."

"But it's coffee," Tony said, exasperated.

"Tony, you know what Gibbs is like when he doesn't have his coffee. Besides, everyone needs a healthy addiction!" Tony rolled his eyes, set his food down on the table and threw his cell phone over to Kate.

"If it rings, answer it," he ordered. "Let them know that I'm not the one selling American stamps from the 1960s. I've had my phone on silent the whole time we've been in here and there are thirty seven missed calls."

"And that would be how many more than usual?" Kate asked, a smirk playing on her face. Tony glared at her momentarily before leaving the room.

When the door to the observation room opened again, Kate didn't look up. "Agent Todd," said a soft, yet authorative female voice. At the sound of her name, however, Kate looked up immediately.

"Commander Coleman," Kate said. Surprise was evident in her voice.

"I just thought I'd stop by to make sure that Special Agent Gibbs was treating my Petty Officers humanely." The Commander walked over to Tony's chair and moved it so that it was next to Kate. Kate gave a slight chuckle.

"He's treating them just fine," Kate said, smiling over at the Commander. "They haven't given us very much though."

"Anything useful?" The Commander asked as she observed Petty Officer Janette Lewis squirming under Gibbs' gaze. Kate noticed the concerned look on the Commander's face when Gibbs' raised his voice at the young officer.

"I don't care if it is just gossip, Petty Officer. I want to know what you know, and I want to know it now!" Gibbs had yelled. Kate turned in her chair to face the Commander.

"Don't worry; a coffee should be arriving for him any minute!" Both women laughed, relieved that they were on the other side of the window, away from the grumpy Special Agent. They were interrupted by the ringing of Tony's cell phone that was sitting on top of the files in Kate's lap.

"Special Agent DiNozzo's phone," Kate said as she answered it. There was a slight pause before Kate said anything. "Wrong number, sweetie. This isn't spanky's phone! Have a nice day." Kate snapped the phone closed and put it back on top of the files before she started laughing. The Commander looked at Kate with an extremely confused expression on her face. Kate controlled her laughter as she explained the phone call to Commander Coleman. "Tony asked me to mind his cell while he went off to get coffee for Gibbs. He keeps getting calls about some American stamp collection- the newspaper printed the wrong number, but that call was for Spanky." The Commander raised her eyebrows and Kate unwrapped the health bar Tony had bought for her.

"You're a strong woman, Kate," the Commander said. "I don't know how you put up with being the only female agent around here."

"You're a marine, Commander. You're surrounded by males too," Kate said, not really answering the Commander's question. Tony walked into the observation room with a cup of Starbucks coffee and was surprised to see the Commander sitting next to Kate, watching Gibbs interrogate their ninth petty officer.

"Ah, Good morning, Commander Coleman," he said formally.

"Agent DiNozzo," the Commander replied, nodding her head slightly, a small smile playing on her face. Tony backtracked quickly.

"I'll, ah, get this coffee to Gibbs." Tony walked back out of observation and entered the interrogation room. He placed the coffee in front of Gibbs and leant down and whispered something in his ear. Kate, becoming increasingly good at reading people's behaviour, noticed Gibbs' shoulders tense up briefly before relaxing.

"He just told Gibbs you were watching," Kate said plainly, never taking her eyes off Gibbs.

"How can you tell?" Kate just shrugged her shoulders in response. Tony walked back into interrogation and stood behind Kate. He finally finished eating his twisties and chocolate bar. Tony guzzled down his coca-cola and threw it in the bin. He put his hands on the back of her chair and leant casually against it.

"Is this getting us anywhere?" Tony asked.

"Not really. I don't think we'll get anything until we move onto the four males, Lucas Santiago in particular," Kate said.

"Lucas Santiago?" The Commander asked.

"Petty Officer Fitzgerald named him as having a grudge against both the victims, and his file reflects continual disrespect for women," Tony replied, reading the file over Kate's shoulder.

"Sounds like you, Tony, the disrespect for women thing."

"Now that is where you are mistaken, sweetie, I have a deep respect for women."

"Oh please, Tony," Kate said in an unbelieving tone.

"I thought you'd never ask, Kate!" Kate rolled her eyes and looked over at the Commander, who had an extremely amused expression on her face.

"Never ask what, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, walking into the observation room. The three of them looked up in surprise. They had been so absorbed in the bickering that they failed to notice him leave interrogation.

"Ah, nothing, boss."

"If it was nothing, why were you discussing it in here?" Gibbs stood with an unimpressed expression on his face. "Commander Coleman," Gibbs continued, tearing his eyes off Tony and settling them on the casually dressed naval superior. "So nice of you to join us."

"Always a pleasure, Agent Gibbs," Commander Coleman said, rising to her feet and turning around to face the senior agent. "I just came by to see how the interrogations were going."

"Two hours is a hell of a way to come just to drop in. Why are you here, Faith?" Gibbs asked, his cup of coffee firm in his left hand. The Commander was saved from having to respond by the quiet ringing of Tony's cell phone in Kate's lap.

"Do you want me to answer it, Spanky?" Kate patronised. Both the Commander and Gibbs raised their eyebrows. She flipped open the cell phone and brought it to her ear. "Special Agent DiNozzo's phone," she said calmly, as if she were his secretary. There was a pause before Kate spoke. "No, this is Tony's wife." The Commander fought back a laugh, as did Kate. Tony's jaw dropped to the floor in shock and Gibbs stood there with an extremely amused look on his face. "Yeah, we've been married for six months now. Who are you?" There was another pause. "Oh yes, I know." Kate's smile broadened. "Yes he is, isn't he?" Kate bit back laughter. "Yes, alright. I'll let him know. Thank you. Goodbye." She snapped his phone shut and passed it over her shoulder to Tony, without making eye contact. Once he had taken the phone out of her grasp, she turned in her chair and faced her bemused audience standing near her. "Tony, Tony, Tony," Kate said shaking her head. Tony's eyes widened and fear ran through his body. "Call your dry cleaner. Your suits are ready." Tony breathed an exasperated sigh of relief. He flicked open his cell phone to call his dry cleaner back, but didn't even get the chance to dial the number before Gibbs had grabbed the phone out of his hand.

"You can call your dry cleaner in your own time."

"But boss, I'm down to my last suit," Tony whined. Gibbs raised his hand to slap him over the back of his head, but stopped himself for the second time that morning as he noticed Tony bracing himself for the impact. Tony gave him a puzzled look.

"It's no fun if you know it's coming!" Gibbs said, his face expressionless. He handed Tony back his phone and walked out of observation and back into the interrogation room to conduct an interrogation with the final female Petty Officer, Tiffany Kennedy.

Like most of the Petty Officer's before her, Petty Officer Kennedy didn't really know of anyone who had held a grudge against the two murdered women. Gibbs returned to the observation room again. Neither Kate, Tony nor the Commander moved when Gibbs entered. "Useless," Gibbs said, sighing. "Absolutely useless. None of them know anything." He ran a hand over his face and took another sip of his coffee.

"Do you think the male officers are going to be any more helpful?" Kate asked, silently praying that they would get something out of them so that she wouldn't have to go undercover as bait for a rapist.

"No," Gibbs stated firmly, his eyes focussed on Kate.

"No?" She asked questioningly.

"No," Gibbs said again.

"Ah, boss, why are we wasting time interviewing them all then, when we could be doing other things?" Gibbs tore his eyes away from Kate and settled them on Tony, who stood leaning against the back of Kate's chair, one hand in his pocket. Gibbs was silent for a moment, thinking of the nicest way he could possibly phrase his response. The silence at this point was overbearing. Gibbs flicked his eyes over to the Commander before resting them on Kate, who was waiting expectantly for his answer.

"Kate needs to know what she's up against."

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So… that's chapter 6 for you all! Hopefully you like it… reviews would be great! 


	7. Chapter 7

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't own NCIS! I write this purely for my own enjoyment and hopefully that of others!

Author's Notes: Another huge thank you to Annie-M for editing this chapter and to Loz for helping when I got stuck!

Oh, and for all of those wonderful people who want a ship… well, it starts to become a little more obvious in this chapter! There are a few "moments"…

In this chapter, we meet the four male suspects and see Kate's reaction to it.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

Part 7**

The interrogations with the four male Petty Officers went fairly smoothly; according to Gibbs' standards, anyway. Tony and Commander Coleman watched all four interrogations intently, but Kate was fixated. Deep down, she knew she would be going undercover on Monday morning and she wanted to have the upper hand. She was hoping to God, also, that they were on the right track when they had presumed it would be one of the men who had also applied for the position in admin.

If they were wrong, however, they would no longer have any suspects at all and Kate would be even more unprepared for this operation.

"Be objective," Gibbs had said to the three of them as he left the observation room. "It could be any of the next four PO's." Kate and Tony both nodded solemnly. The Commander didn't respond, knowing the comment was not specifically directed at her. Sure, she was going to be involved in this investigation too, but she knew that it was Gibbs' show, and he was the one with all the power and authority.

The first male Petty Officer was Greg Jackson. Kate's breathing quickened when he entered the interrogation room. He was six-foot-seven and solid. Kate was strong, but he would only have to sit on her and she wouldn't be able to fight back. Gibbs had been a lot harsher with him than he had been in his previous interrogations with the women. Kate tried to profile him from his responses and body language, but she wasn't having much luck.

As the interrogation pressed on, she found herself growing more and more agitated. Petty Officer Jackson wasn't one to be intimidated easily, and he seemed eerily calm when Gibbs raised his voice. When pressed about his whereabouts at the time of both of the murders, he coolly replied that he had been on his way to a bar near the naval base. After thirty-five minutes, Gibbs ended the interrogation and went back to talk to Kate, Tony and Commander Coleman.

They all looked at him expectantly when he entered observation, waiting for Gibbs to say something. Gibbs looked Kate straight in the eyes, trying to seek out her feelings, but her eyes were cloudy and didn't show any emotion. Without Gibbs even speaking, Kate answered the question his eyes had asked.

"I don't know, Gibbs. I don't know if he did it or not. I can't read him." Tony looked startled at Kate's response. Kate was usually pretty good with reading people and knowing whether or not they were guilty just by watching their body language. He was shocked that she really had no idea. He heard the confusion in her voice and knew that this operation was going to be much harder than they had all originally thought.

Gibbs held his gaze to Kate, but she dropped hers to her lap, feeling as though she had already failed. "Just try and read this next one," Gibbs said as he exited the room.

Petty Officer Stuart Benson sat silently in the interrogation room. His head was bowed, his eyes closed, and his hands were clasped firmly in his lap. He did not even flinch when Gibbs entered the room and sat down in front of him. He was much smaller than Petty Officer Jackson. In fact, he was one of the smallest marines that Gibbs had ever come across. He was probably the same size, if not smaller, than Abby. Kate felt more at ease during this interrogation, her instinct telling her that this man was not involved in the murders, but she was still unable to rule him out.

"I am a deeply religious man, Agent Gibbs," Petty Officer Benson said.

"Frankly, Petty Officer, I don't care if you think you are Jesus. I want to know where you were and what you were doing on Thursday night between 1800 and 1900."

"I was praying, sir."

"Praying?" Gibbs repeated in a patronising manner.

"As a marine, I am protecting my country, sir, and I pray for those who have lost their lives doing so." Gibbs didn't reply. Instead, he stood up and faced the two-way mirror. He stood in front of where he knew Kate was on the other side and looked directly into the glass.

In the observation room, Kate felt a chill up her spine. This man was a Catholic, a devout one at that. Tony felt Kate tense up, and as a sign of his support, placed his right hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Kate immediately relaxed under Tony's touch and leaned back slightly into her chair, her head resting on his abdomen as he was standing close behind her. She sought comfort in Tony's strength. He kept his hand on her shoulder whilst Gibbs turned back to the Petty Officer and continued questioning him.

"He didn't do it," Kate had said as soon as Gibbs entered the observation room nearly twenty minutes later. She felt three pairs of eyes on her as soon as she made that bold statement. Tony had retracted his hand from Kate's shoulder as soon as Gibbs had left interrogation.

"How do you know?" Tony asked quietly.

"Look at the size of him!" Kate pointed to the Petty Officer who was being led out of the interrogation room. "How he made it into the corps is beyond me. He's tiny." Gibbs nodded in agreement.

"He mentioned that he was surrounded by spirits," Gibbs said, recounting what Petty Officer Benson had said to him. "Is that normal for a Catholic person?" Gibbs asked, directing his question at Kate.

"What? Being surrounded by spirits?"

"Yes."

"Only if you're in a bar!" Tony quipped, attempting to break the tension that was building in the room. Kate turned around in her chair and shot Tony a glare that could have killed him. Gibbs shook his head in dismay.

"Can you ever be serious, DiNozzo?" Kate snapped.

"Of course I can, Kate," Tony said, winking at her. She rolled her eyes in response and turned back to the files that were still in her lap.

"Stop it, you two," Gibbs barked. "That's enough. This case is going to be difficult enough without you two fighting."

"Sorry, boss," Tony said remorsefully. He flicked his eyes over to the interrogation room to see Petty Officer Edward Robertson being led in.

"He's Catholic, Gibbs," Kate said, referring to the previous Petty Officer. "Of course he feels surrounded by spirit." Without responding, Gibbs walked straight back out of the observation room, ready to interview the Petty Officer in interrogation.

Kate's breathing quickened when she saw Petty Officer Robertson sitting opposite Gibbs in interrogation. There was something in the Petty Officer's eyes that scared her. His eyes; They were dark, black almost, and although she struggled to identify the emotions running through them, she instinctively knew that he was one who was not to be crossed. The fact that he was well over six-foot tall added to her anxiety. She hadn't realised that she had been holding her breath until she exhaled loudly and slowly.

"Agent Todd, are you ok?" Commander Coleman asked upon hearing her breathe out. Kate looked over at the Commander.

"I'm fine," Kate replied nonchalantly. Kate dropped her eyes down to the file on her lap and began taking small, even breaths to calm herself down.

"Commander, would you excuse us for a second?" Tony asked quietly, hoping to have a few private moments alone with Kate in an attempt to soothe her fears and reassure her.

"Of course," Commander Coleman said as she rose from her chair. "It's time I headed back now anyway. I'll be in touch." Tony nodded in acknowledgment and gave her a small smile as she left the observation room.

"Are you sure you're ok with this, Kate?" Tony asked as soon as the door to the observation room had closed. "You seem a little edgy."

"You would be too, DiNozzo, if you were kept in an observation room all morning," Kate snapped.

"That's not what I meant," he replied, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I know," Kate answered, never taking her eyes off the page in front of her. "It's harder than I thought it would be."

"We're not going to let anything happen to you," Tony reassured her.

"How can you be so sure?" Tony cast his eyes downward and shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"I can't," he said after several moments, "but I won't let it." He put his hand on her shoulder again and was surprised when she placed her hand over his, interlocking their fingers.

"There's something about this guy that I don't like," Kate said, holding onto his hand. "His eyes, they…" Kate trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe them. Tony squeezed Kate's hand gently.

"I know, Kate. I know."

The Petty Officer's alibi wasn't rock solid and they all knew that it could be shaken loose if needed. Tony and Kate didn't speak for the rest of the interrogation, but Tony kept his hand on Kate's shoulder and she revelled in the support he was giving her. The silence was far from uncomfortable; both were wrapped up in their own thoughts. Kate was trying desperately to profile Petty Officer Robertson, hoping she would find a personality trait to determine whether or not he was capable of raping and killing two marines.

While she had been studying psychology in college, Kate had learned that the human mind didn't come with an instruction manual, and today, she finally understood what her college professor had meant. Tony, on the other hand, was thinking of ways in which he could protect Kate when, or if, she went undercover. There was still a slight chance that she may not have to, but they had no physical evidence against anyoneand, as yet, none of the interrogations had given them much to work with. All they had found out was that Petty Officer Lucas Santiago had once been in a relationship with Petty Officer Silverman, and he had already been disciplined for his disrespect of his female colleagues. He was next to be interrogated.

In the interrogation room, Petty Officer Jackson was becoming increasingly agitated an distressedat the questions Gibbs was asking him, his hands resting on the table, clenched in tight fists. Gibbs sat back in his chair, almost relaxing.

"I was not involved, Agent Gibbs."

"Can you prove to me that you weren't?" Gibbs said, his blue eyes staring intently at Jackson.

"Can you prove that I was?" Jackson said, raising his eyebrows at Gibbs, challenging him.

"If you left anything behind, Petty Officer, I will find it," Gibbs said forcefully.

"There is nothing to find, sir. I wasn't there." Gibbs glared at the man for a minute, waiting for him to begin squirming. The only sound to be heard was the ticking of Gibbs' watch. When he didn't move, Gibbs stood up silently and strode confidently out of the room.

Confident, however, was far from how he was feeling. He didn't like the situation that was unfolding before him; he had two dead petty officers and no leads. A pattern, yes, but no leads. He didn't want to have to put Kate in undercover at Norfolk, but he really didn't have much of a choice. He just hoped that Kate wouldn't turn out to be victim number three. He paused momentarily to regroup his thoughts before joining Kate, Tony and Commander Coleman in the observation room.

As soon as he opened the door, he noticed that the Commander wasn't there. "She gone?" Gibbs asked, closing the door behind him. Tony nodded in reply. Gibbs flicked his eyes to Kate and noticed her hand entwined with Tony's, resting on her shoulder. Gibbs tilted his head and gave Tony a puzzled look. Kate was yet to acknowledge Gibbs' presence in the room; her attention was fixed on Petty Officer Jackson.

Once the petty officer had left interrogation, she finally turned in her chair and looked directly at Gibbs. As she did so, she realised that her hand was still holding onto Tony's. She let go and ran her hand through her hair, sighing loudly.

"There's something about him that's not right," Kate said. Tony removed his hand from Kate's shoulder and put it in his pocket.

"His eyes?" Gibbs questioned. Kate nodded solemnly.

"I can't read them," she stated quietly, distress more than evident in her hushed tone.

"You weren't the only one," Gibbs said, casting his eyes to the floor. The observation room went quiet as they each processed what Gibbs had said.

"Boss?" Tony enquired timidly.

"What?"

"This isn't going the way we thought it would, is it?" Gibbs ran a hand over his face before he responded.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he stated plainly. "Unless we get something out of Santiago, you're going undercover."

"Never say you're sorry, right Gibbs?" Kate said. It wasn't Gibbs' fault and she knew that. This was her job and she had to take the good with the bad.

"Let's hope he has something for us," Tony stated, pointing to the interrogation room where Santiago had just entered.

Gibbs walked out of observation and braced himself for what he thought would be the toughest interview of the morning. Gibbs wasn't sure if he had ever been more wrong. Lucas Santiago was polite and softly spoken; the latter not being a trait you would find in many marines. Kate and Tony watched from behind the glass.

"Twenty bucks says he's gay," Tony said as the Petty Officer spoke for the first time.

"Tony, I'm not betting on something that is plain obvious. Even I can tell he is gay!"

"So did he do it?"

"I may be a profiler, but I am not a mind reader!" Kate said, a small smile appearing on her face. "Let's just see what Gibbs gets out of him, DiNozzo!"

"Tell me about your relationships with Amanda Stone and Marie Silverman, Petty Officer," Gibbs said calmly.

"I barely knew Petty Officer Stone, sir. Only professionally. But Marie and I dated several years back."

"When you say 'dated', define the nature of this relationship."

"We were in love," Santiago replied. "I loved her."

"Who broke it off?"

"I did, sir."

"Why?" Gibbs leant back in his chair and tilted his head at the Petty Officer in an attempt to scrutinize his facial movements.

"I couldn't lie to her anymore."

"Lie about what?" Although he was forthright with his answers, Gibbs felt like he was drawing blood from a stone.

"I loved her, don't get me wrong, but it was more of a platonic love. I met someone else and I had an affair."

"Who with?"

"A Petty Officer stationedat Norfolk." Gibbs did not say anything; he waited expectantly for the name of the Petty Officer, and glared intently at Santiago. This interrogation was not as rough as he had thought it would be. In fact, it was the exact opposite, which made him slightly suspicious. After a few moments silence, Santiago spoke. "Stuart Benson." Gibbs couldn't hide his surprise. His eyes opened wide and he arched his eyebrows. "We're still together now, only it's not public. We've been together almost three years now."

"What was your relationship with Petty Officer Silverman prior to her death?"

"We remained friends. Close friends, in fact. I am Sophia's god-father." Gibbs folded his arms across his chest and studied Santiago curiously, unsure of whether or not this man was capable of killing two women, one of with which he had shared a close relationship. He didn't know whether or not to believe him.

"Where were you on Thursday night between 1800 and 1900?" Gibbs asked calmly.

"I was still working, sir. I had a report to finish for Commander Coleman."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"I was logged onto a computer and I saved the report periodically. You could probably check the computer network history." Gibbs nodded, somewhat accepting of his response. He rose from his chair and turned to walk out. "Agent Gibbs," Santiago said as Gibbs neared the door, "she was my best friend. She was the only one who truly understood me. Please find who killed her." Gibbs was caught unaware by his request. Santiago sat in his chair and let tears roll down his cheeks. "Even though we broke up, I still loved her." He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked over at Gibbs, who stood with one hand on the door handle, ready to open it. Gibbs didn't feel the need to give him a verbal response. Instead, he just gave him a nod, indicating he'd accepted what he had said. It was an unspoken moment between two marines, semper fi, but Gibbs was back to square one. A square without a suspect.

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Well, that's all I've got for chapter 7! Has anyone figured out who the murder/rapist is yet? I won't make it easy for you! Please review, good or bad! I like the feedback, and if you're constructive, I'll try and do what you would like! 


	8. Chapter 8

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Thanks to my editors, Annie-M and Loz. You two are brilliant!

Thank you also to everyone who has reviewed the fic so far. I really value the feedback and try to use it to make this fic more enjoyable for you all, so if there is something you want to see happen or not happen, let me know!

**

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Part 8**

Tony and Kate waited in the observation room for Gibbs. Kate sat silently whilst Tony paced around the small room. They both knew what this meant; Kate would be going undercover at Norfolk on Monday morning. There really wasn't anything they could do about it. Gibbs entered the room sombrely.

Never before had the two agents seen such mixed emotions on their boss' face. They could see his anger, his frustration, his sense of failure, his apprehension, his confusion and his fear. Fear was never an emotion they had seen on his face before and Kate and Tony weren't quite sure how to react.

"We're back to where we started," Kate stated simply, rising slowly from her chair and turning around to face them. Gibbs ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Kate's eyes darted to Tony.

"Let's go grab some lunch to clear our heads," Tony suggested as he finally stopped pacing. "Then we'll go through it all again." He looked over at Kate, before shifting his gaze to his boss, waiting for confirmation.

After a few moments, Gibbs spoke in a hushed voice. "While you're gone, you can get me some coffee."

"You're not going to come with us, Gibbs?" Kate asked, surprised at his response.

"I've got work to do." Kate gave Tony a puzzled look. When Gibbs' didn't elaborate, they took it as their cue to leave. As Kate made her way to the door and walked past Gibbs, he grabbed her lightly on the arm. "Just wait back here for five minutes. Give the Petty Officer's a chance to leave." Kate took a step back and inhaled slowly. She looked deep into Gibbs' eyes, searching for reassurance. His eyes clouded over. Kate looked away when she failed to find what she wanted. Tony stood in the corner of the observation room and watched the exchange between Kate and his boss. Gibbs took a step back and walked out of observation. Kate stood dejectedly, watching the door as it clicked shut. Tony made his way over to Kate. He placed his hand on her arm, turning her around to face him.

"Everything's going to be ok, Kate," Tony said, trying to give her the reassurance she hadn't received from Gibbs. "I promise." She shifted her gaze to meet his.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, DiNozzo. We both know how this is going to end," Kate snapped.

"You always seem to fear the worst," Tony said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"That's because fearing the best is a complete waste of time," Kate exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I'm going undercover as bait for a serial rapist and we don't have any evidence as to who the suspect is." Tony had no response for that, so he backed away from her slightly. She had hit the nail on the head with that statement. She was scared and stressed, but she needed to hold it together.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very successful. "I am a trained criminal profiler, Tony! I am supposed to be able to just look at a person and know what they're thinking." Kate began screaming at him, her arms flapping about wildly. "I was so lost during those interrogations. I couldn't read any of them. Do you know what that's like, Tony? Do you?" She stepped back against the wall of observation and leant against it heavily. Tony had never seen this insecure side of Kate before and it scared him more than he cared to admit. He didn't know how to react. Comforting and reassuring her wouldn't work, so Tony just stood on the other side of the observation room and watched as she tried to pull herself together.

Tony's phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and frowned slightly at the called id. "DiNozzo," he stated simply, yet professionally.

"You two are free to go to lunch. The Petty Officer's have gone back to Norfolk." Tony didn't get the chance to respond before Gibbs hung up on him in his usual style.

"Ah, Kate, did you still wanna go grab some lunch? Gibbs said that it's all clear for you to leave." Tony waited for Kate to respond. After a moment, she let her eyes focus on her colleague. She offered him a small smile as she pushed herself off the wall and began to make her way out of observation.

* * *

Once Gibbs had seen the Petty Officers leave, he headed straight down to autopsy to see if he could get anything more out of his medical examiner. Ducky stood with his back to the door, staring up at some x-rays. "Jethro," he said without turning around. The swish of the doors and the fast-paced steps alerted him to the Senior Agent's presence. "What is it that I can do for you?" Slowly, he turned around to meet the stern gaze of his dearest friend.

"Can you tell me anything else about how the two Petty Officers died?" Ducky shook his head slowly, sadness evident in his eyes.

"I wish I could, Jethro."

"Dammit, Duck!" Gibbs exclaimed, slamming his fist onto the cold autopsy table.

"I take it you are worried about the situation you are placing young Caitlin in?" Ducky questioned, moving around autopsy. He looked over at Gibbs, who simply stood next to the empty table, staring down at his hand. When he didn't respond, the older man continued. "Caitlin is a grown woman, Jethro. She is capable of looking after herself."

"It's not Kate that I'm worried about, Duck." Gibbs slowly raised his eyes and looked over at Ducky. "Let's go through it all again; what happened, and in what order."

"Shouldn't we go through this with Caitlin, Anthony and Timothy?" Ducky asked.

"I need to know, Ducky," Gibbs said forcefully. Ducky sighed.

"Both Petty Officers were handcuffed, hands behind their back. Their attacker was obviously stronger than them, managing to get them to lie down with minimal resistance, hence the lack of bruising. From there, he held a knife to the left of their throat and sliced it open on the diagonal from just under the earlobe down to the front of their neck." Ducky made the movement on his own neck to demonstrate. "At this stage, the attacker was sitting on top of their thighs. He lifted their skirt and pulled their underwear down. As the neck wound began to bleed out, he entered them, causing severe bruising here and here," Ducky continued to map out on his body where the bruising had been sustained on both of the Petty Officers.

"Are you telling me that they were dead and he continued to rape them?" Ducky confirmed his suspicions with a sombre nod. "He's a sick, right-handed bastard. Is that what you're saying?"

"To use your words, Jethro, yes, he is a sick bastard. But I am not so sure about him being right handed. If you look at the angle of the neck wound on both of the officers, you might notice that it would have been very uncomfortable and difficult for the attacker to inflict with their right hand. Making a slice like that would have been almost impossible using the right hand."

"Left-handed?" Gibbs questioned, surprised that his medical examiner had not mentioned it earlier.

"Yes. The more I think about it, the harder I think it would have been to slash someone at such an angle and so deeply using the right hand."

"Give Abby all of the angles and measurements. I want her to make a computer simulation to test your theory and see if we can get an approximate height or weight for the attacker." Gibbs turned on his heel and walked briskly out of autopsy and up to the bullpen to go back through the photos.

The bullpen was deserted when he arrived. He presumed that McGee had gone with Kate and Tony for lunch and, no doubt, Abby had joined them. They were a good team, he thought to himself as he sat at his desk for the first time since he'd conducted the interrogations. He picked up the pile of photos from both of the crime scenes and laid them out on his desk.

Kate wasn't the only one having problems trying to profile the killer. None of the interrogations had been useful. If he had known about the possibility of the killer being left-handed earlier, then he would have had them sign some completely useless form just to see what hand they wrote with. Kate would just have to be extra-observant on Monday. He leant forward in his chair to study the photos more closely and let his thoughts on the case take over his mind.

* * *

His three field agents and his lab technician entered the bullpen half an hour later to find Gibbs hunched over his desk, scrutinizing every image before him. "Hey Boss-man!" Abby said loudly. "I've got you your favourite!" Gibbs looked up from the photos and saw the four of them standing in an arc on the other side of his desk. Abby had a Caf-Pow! in one hand and a large takeaway cup of coffee from Starbucks in the other. She held it out to him and he accepted it without as much as a 'thank you'. "Manners, Gibbs!" joked Abby. "You really need to learn how to use them!" Gibbs glared at Abby, silencing her complaints.

"Abs, go down and see Ducky. He's got something for you to play with." A large smile appeared on the Goth's face and she let out a slight squeal.

"I like the things Ducky gives me to play with. So much more interesting than Barbie dolls!" She gulped down the rest of her Caf-Pow! and placed it on Gibbs' desk. "Call me if you need me!" She said, as she literally ran out of the bullpen to meet the quaint Englishman in autopsy.

The three agents stood around Gibbs' desk waiting for him to address them or instruct them as to what he wanted them to do. He looked between Kate, Tony and McGee, before looking back down at the photos. "Find out if any of them are left-handed." The three of them exchanged a puzzled look. "Ducky seems to think that the killer is left-handed, a cross-body slash to the neck."

"The slash wasn't made from the back?" Tony asked, stunned at this new piece of information.

"It appears not," Gibbs said, as he pointed to a close-up photo of the eleven-centimetre slash on Petty Officer Silverman's neck and then at the slash on on Petty Officer Amanda Stone's neck. "This was done face-to-face." Kate took a quick step backwards and opened her eyes in shock.

"Face-to-face?" She repeated softly. Gibbs took one look in her eyes and knew instantly that she was terrified. He nodded slowly, confirming her worst fears. Assuming it would reach that point, she would have to look her killer in the eyes as her throat was slashed.

Her breathing quickened.

She needed to escape the confines of the bullpen or she would lose it. She turned around quickly and made her way to the elevator. She pushed the button, waiting for it to arrive, but impatience got the better of her and so she decided that taking the stairs would be more therapeutic. She flung the door to the stairwell open and began running up the stairs.

Gibbs, Tony and McGee looked at the path Kate had taken. She had never reacted like this in front of any of them before, and even though Tony had seen her lose her composure momentarily only an hour earlier in the observation room, he hadn't expected to see her lose it so openly. The fact that she had lost her composure twice in as many hours had made Tony realise that she wasn't coping very well, and the undercoveroperation hadn't even started yet. "I'll go after her," Tony said as he began walking towards the stairwell.

"Do you think that is wise, DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.

"Unless you want to go," Tony said, raising his eyebrows at Gibbs. His boss simply waved him off with a flick of the wrist. McGee retreated to his desk slowly. He had never known Kate to show any form of personal distress at work and he wondered what had really happened down in observation that morning.

Tony opened the door to the stairwell and heard Kate's footsteps above him. He looked up and saw her hand skimming the railing on the inside as she made her way up to the rooftop. Tony raced up after her, taking the stairs two at a time. He wasn't sure why he was racing after Kate. He doubted that she wanted anyone to do so, but after her outburst in observation, he felt that she needed someone's support.

He took several deep breaths once he had reached the top, opening the door to the rooftop slowly so as not to alarm her. He let out a long breath when he saw her standing in the middle of the open space with her back to him, her arms wrapped around herself and her head bowed. The light shaking of her shoulders indicated that she was crying.

He walked towards her slowly. "Kate?" He said softly, closing the door quietly behind him. He began taking slow, tentative steps towards her. "Kate?" he said again, as the distance between them became shorter. She slowly turned around to face him, exposing the tear marks on either side of her face.

He hadn't expected this from her, especially not after lunch. Since they were working on a weekend, they did what had become almost customary for the field agents- they went out to lunch together, a feeble attempt to makeup for having to work. At lunch, Kate had been relaxed, joking and laughing with Tony, teasing McGee and having 'girly' conversations with Abby.

It was at that moment when Kate turned around that Tony realised that Kate had been doing what Kate did best: keeping her emotions in and putting up a front. She wiped the tears from her face quickly and smiled at him, once again hiding the emotions currently running through her body. "Are you ok?" Tony asked feebly. For once, he was at a loss for words.

"I'm fine, Tony," Kate said, lying through her teeth.

"No you're not." Kate raised her head, but avoided his gaze. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me," he said, when she failed to look him in the eye. "Look at me, Kate," Tony repeated forcefully. He waited patiently.

After a minute or so, Kate lifted her chin and looked at Tony. This was Kate at her most vulnerable and Tony wasn't sure what to do. He could only think of one thing, however inappropriate some may see it. He pulled her in and embraced her with both arms. She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning into him. Tony rested his chin on top of her head. "You can do this, Kate. You're a good agent, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Gibbs would understand." She pulled back from the tight embrace and looked Tony square in the eyes.

"If you want to make an omelette, then you've got to break some eggs, right?" Kate said. Tony gave her a confused look, not understanding what she had meant. "You can't go fishing without the worms, Tony."

* * *

Well, that's it for Chapter 8. Once again, I hope you liked it. Please send a review if you want me to continue it. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1 for the truth! ;-)

Author's Note: Thanks to Loz and Annie-M! You guys rock!

And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far- it is great getting feedback, good or bad! I'd love some more reviews though! Please!

This chapter is not as long as previous chapters- just a little reprieve for you all!

**

* * *

Part 9 **

Gibbs sat in the bullpen drinking the cup of coffee that Abby had given him. McGee was sitting at his own desk, fumbling about with some of the cables at the back of his computer. "McGee," Gibbs said as he set the coffee down on his desk, his eyes never leaving the computer screen in front of him, "go down to the lab and help Abby." McGee froze in his chair momentarily before looking over at his boss.

"Ah, with what, sir?" he asked timidly.

"A computer simulation I want her to develop. Your computer skills may be of some assistance." Gibbs turned his head and looked at his probationary field agent. He managed to hold back a smirk as he saw McGee's face light up at the small amount of praise he'd received.

"On it, Boss," McGee said as he stood up in his chair and straightened his tie. He put the cable back in its place and walked out of the bullpen. To the trained eye, a small spring was evident in his step.

* * *

A comfortable silence had enveloped Kate and Tony on the rooftop. "We better head back down before Gibbs comes up here and shoots us," Kate joked. Tony relaxed when he saw Kate's face break out into a grin, but he noticed that her eyes were not showing the same emotion. The barrier that Kate had always put between her emotions and her job had come back up. 

"You might want to head to the ladies first to freshen up," he replied. Her mascara had run due to the tears she had shed earlier. Kate gave him a puzzled look. He reached out his right hand and placed it lightly on her cheek, wiping the tear tracks with his thumb. "Your mascara has run." She dipped her head in embarrassment and Tony withdrew his hand quickly. He stepped aside and let her pass him as Kate made her way over to the door to the stairs. Tony studied her once her back was facing him and he noticed how she gave her head a small, barely noticeable shake and pushed her shoulders back to create the confident way in which she always carried herself. As she opened the door, she turned back to Tony.

"Coming?" She quipped, wriggling her eyebrows at him suggestively. Tony rolled his eyes and made his way over to her and together they walked down the stairs, neither saying anything, but both knowing that Kate's uncharacteristic outburst would never be spoken of.

Gibbs heard the stairwell door open and, without moving his head, he discreetly looked up to see Kate and Tony emerging together. Tony held the door open for Kate and she accepted his gesture with a simple nod of her head. They parted ways when the door closed; Tony walking to his desk and Kate walking off in the general direction of the restroom, Gibbs presumed. He noticed Tony's placid demeanour and hoped that nothing inappropriate had happened between them up on the rooftop; he did not need either of them distracted during this case. He felt Tony's eyes on him, almost expecting him to say something. Instead, he continued to leaf through the documents in front of him. Tony shrugged his shoulders and began to do the same.

A few moments later, Kate entered the bullpen looking refreshed and composed. The earlier distress that Tony had witnessed on the rooftop was no longer visible. She walked confidently over to Gibbs and stood on the other side of his desk. "Sorry about before, Gibbs," she said quietly, but with conviction. He gazed up at her.

"Was it you who told me a few hours ago to never say you're sorry?" Kate nodded. She knew that that was as close as an acceptance as she was going to get from Gibbs, so she turned around and walked back to her desk, offering Tony a small smile as she sat down. Gibbs looked over at Tony for a moment to gauge the other man's reaction to Kate's calm appearance. When Tony looked neither concerned nor surprised, he went back to leafing through Ducky's autopsy report.

At this stage, Gibbs was the only one, apart from Abby, who had read Ducky's report. The medical examiner had taken it upon himself to write a detailed report on the findings of his autopsies. In typical 'Ducky-style', the report was thorough and…long. Not only did it contain information on every bruise and mark left by the attacker (which, apart from the slit throat, bruising from the handcuffs and the obvious signs of rape, was minimal), it also contained specific measurements and the order in which everything happened. Ducky had spent the entire morning writing it out for Gibbs, knowing that it could come in useful for them all. He had a feeling that Gibbs would put it to good use.

Gibbs had read the eleven page document twice over. He was reading through the first page for the third time when his phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs," he said gruffly.

"It's ready, Gibbs," Abby said down the line. "I made the program you want."

"I'm on my way." He closed his phone and stood up. "You two," he said, pointing between Kate and Tony, "stay here." He strode past them and walked straight to the elevator.

* * *

He entered Abby's lab to find her staring intently at McGee, who, in turn, was staring just as hard at Abby. "Show me what you've got, Abs," Gibbs said, breaking the concentration between the two of them. 

"Well, thanks to Ducky's oh-so-long report, I've managed to create a program which possibly re-enacts the attack," Abby said, typing furiously on her keyboard. "And, I've tried to make the size of the attacker as accurate as possible."

"Let me see it," Gibbs said. He leant over Abby's shoulder and squinted at the screen.

"Gibbs! You really need some glasses! I'll put it on the plasma for you!" Gibbs stepped back and stood in front of the large screen. "Oh, and I tried not to make it graphic, but Gibbs, you had me simulate a rape." Gibbs nodded, keeping his back to Abby. McGee hadn't said anything at this point; he had just stood back and watched the interaction between his boss and Abby. He was always amazed at how Abby managed to answer Gibbs' questions before he even asked them and he also wondered how she was not intimidated by the tall, muscly ex-marine. He looked over at the plasma and saw the program he'd helped to create appear.

Not one of them moved a muscle whilst they watched the simulation that lasted for roughly twenty minutes. Gibbs was very impressed with the program; he just hoped it was fairly close to what had actually happened.

"Ok, I want this simulation ready to go again when I get back. Abs, McGee, I don't want to see either of you in here." Abby looked over at McGee and back to Gibbs.

"Anything you say, Gibbs," Abby said, as she reset the program to restart. "Just push this button here when you're all set to go, and it will play." Gibbs nodded again in acknowledgement and walked out of the lab. "This is seriously hinky, McGee," she said, once she was sure Gibbs was out of earshot. "Kate's not going to seriously go undercover is she?"

"I have no idea," McGee replied. He wasn't really sure what was happening with the case; sure, he was part of the team, but he sometimes felt like he was left out of the loop. The fact that he had had to babysit the Petty Officers that morning was an example of that. "But we better get out of here before he gets back!"

"Scared of Gibbs, McGee?"

"No, of course not!" McGee retorted, backing away from Abby. "Where do you suggest we go?"

"Bullpen? Autopsy? Breakroom?" the gothic lab technician suggested.

"Bullpen, but let's take the stairs," he replied, eager to avoid clashing with his superior.

* * *

Tony and Kate followed Gibbs down to Abby's lab and were surprised when they were not greeted by the usual loud music or their hyperactive lab rat. "Plasma," Gibbs said plainly. He waited until Kate and Tony were standing directly in front of it. "It's graphic, but it might be useful." Gibbs pressed the 'enter' key on Abby's keyboard. 

Instead of watching the screen, he watched Kate's body language closely.

After several minutes, he noticed her breathing become more rapid, but observed her quickly attempt to regain composure. He noticed that her hands were clasped behind her back and her knuckles had turned white.

Tony's reaction was not quite as obvious, but from his angle, he noticed Tony clench his jaw tightly, his way of keeping himself under control, stopping himself from putting his fist through the wall.

When the simulation ended, Tony turned around to face Gibbs, but Kate's eyes remained fixed on the screen in front of her, now displaying only a dead body. Gibbs spoke before Tony. "The point of that was for you to see what is believed to have happened to both of the Petty Officers." Kate turned around to face Gibbs. "Abby made it from the autopsy results and report that Ducky wrote."

"Ducky wrote a report?" Kate asked. "Why haven't I read it?" Gibbs reached over and grabbed Abby's copy off the bench and handed it to her.

"Read it, thoroughly." Gibbs ordered. "Then watch that again. Let me know when you're done." He left Kate and Tony alone in the lab to do as he had asked.

"What a bastard," Tony said, walking over to Abby's computer, "I can't believe he got her to do that. He got her to create a simulation." He slammed his fist down on the bench.

"He must have had a purpose though, Tony," Kate said calmly, "He's Gibbs." She flicked through the document quickly before turning it back to the first page to read it properly. She sauntered slowly over to Tony where he began reading over her shoulder.

Kate took her time reading Ducky's autopsy report; she was continually distracted by vivid images entering her mind and she found herself reading several sections over and over again until she felt that she had understood it well enough. Tony had read it somewhat faster, but waited patiently for Kate to turn the pages.

She closed the report without saying a word and reached over to Abby's keyboard so that she could watch the simulation again. Tony's hand grabbed her wrist just before she pressed 'enter'. He didn't say anything to her; he merely lowered her hand down to her side. Slowly, he moved his hand down from her wrist to her and hand and entwined his fingers with hers. Kate looked up at Tony and stared into his deep green eyes. He was trying to protect her, but she didn't understand why.

* * *

Ok, so that's Chapter 9. Please review…even if you just write one word! The more reviews I get, the sooner I will post Chapter 10! 


	10. Chapter 10

**Resilience**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I'm Australian. They're American. See the problem? They're not mine!

Author's Notes: To Loz and Annie-M: thank you so much for all your help and ideas!

Also, a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic so far. I love hearing everyone's thoughts on this because it's only my first fic and I don't really know what I'm doing…

**

* * *

Part 10**

"Gibbs, this is totally out of your league," Abby said furiously, staring down at him. After Gibbs had left Kate and Tony in Abby's lab, he had returned to the bullpen to find Abby under McGee's desk, fiddling with his computer. She had since come out from under the desk and had moved around to where Gibbs was sitting comfortably at his. "I mean, having Kate go undercover as bait. That's just wrong." She took a more defensive stance and placed her hands on her hips. "Who is going to watch her back?" Gibbs didn't respond. He stared back at her, challenging her to continue voicing her opinions regarding the case. McGee shrunk behind his computer, not wanting to be involved in any sort of argument between the two of them. Abby held her ground against Gibbs, glaring down at him.

"Was there something you wanted, Abs?" Gibbs finally said. Abby continued to glare at him angrily. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

"Who is going to watch her back? I've got no DNA evidence on him. Nothing. You're letting her swim amongst the sharks."

"Thank you for that marine analogy, Abs. Now, what do you want?" Gibbs did not relent. He'd planned this operation down to the wire last night before he went home. He wasn't going to be leaving anything to chance, but Abby didn't need to know that… yet.

"I need to defrag your computer."

"De-what my computer?" Gibbs questioned. Technology was sometimes just too much for him.

"De-fragment, Gibbs. You really need to step into the 21st century."

"I am in the 21st century, Abs." In response, Abby rolled her eyes and made her way around to Gibbs. "McGee told me that your computer hasn't been de-fragged in a couple of weeks, so this may take a while." She clicked the mouse a few times and started the de-frag. Gibbs sat back in his chair and pulled out his cell phone.

* * *

Down in Abby's lab, Tony put his cell phone back in his pocket after speaking with Gibbs. "That was Gibbs. He wants us back up in the bullpen once we're finished here." Kate moved to press 'enter' on the keyboard to watch the simulation again, like Gibbs had asked. Tony caught her by the wrist again.

"Tony, don't," she whispered. "Let me just watch it."

"Kate you know what happened. You've already seen the simulation once, and you've read Ducky's autopsy report. You don't need to see it again. Once is enough." He stared down at her, trying to get her to realise that watching the simulation again wasn't necessary. He took Ducky's autopsy report out of her hand and placed it on the bench.

"Fine," Kate said harshly. She walked past Tony and straight out of the lab. Tony followed her quickly, reaching the elevator at the same time. They travelled up to the bullpen in silence, tension between them escalating.

When they entered the bullpen, they both went immediately to their desks, neither saying a word to the three others that were present. Abby looked from Tony to Kate, before making eye contact with Gibbs. From her position, seated on Gibbs' desk by the computer, she could definitely tell that some thing was not right. Something had happened between Kate and Tony in the lab; probably a fight.

Gibbs looked at his watch. It was already 1700. "Go home for dinner, all of you. But be back here in your sweats at 2000." The four of them exchanged confused looks, whilst Gibbs picked up and began to read Ducky's report for the fourth time. When nobody moved, Gibbs spoke again. "I said, get out of here. You've got three hours. Don't be late." Tony picked up his jacket off the back of his chair and put it on. McGee did the same. Abby walked away from Gibbs' computer and went back down to her lab.

When Gibbs looked up a few moments laterfrom the report he was reading, he saw Kate sitting at her desk. They were the only two left in the bullpen. "Kate," Gibbs said gently. "Go and grab some dinner. I need you back here at eight."

"Gibbs, I've got work to do," Kate said, typing away on her computer. "So, can you just leave me to it, please?" Gibbs stood up from his desk and walked over to Kate. He took her jacket off the back of her chair and held it in front of her.

"Put it on. Dinner. My shout." Kate tore her eyes away from the computer and looked up at her boss. She sighed as she accepted her jacket from him. He took a step back and allowed her to stand up. Kate grabbed her purse out of her drawer and let Gibbs lead the way out of the bullpen.

* * *

Gibbs sat across from Kate in the quiet café near the NCIS headquarters. It was the same café that she'd had lunch in with Tony the day before. Not a word had been spoken between the pair since Gibbs had told her that he was taking her to dinner.

A waitress approached their table and asked if they were ready to order. Gibbs looked over at Kate, giving her the go-ahead to order first.

"Just a garden salad and water, thanks," Kate said, smiling at the waitress.

"And for you, sir?" the waitress asked.

"Burger and fries," Gibbs said, not making eye contact with the waitress. Instead, he left his eyes on Kate. It was making her uncomfortable, and he knew it.

"What?" Kate said defensively once the waitress had left.

"I didn't say anything, Agent Todd." Kate winced when he referred to her by her 'professional' name.

"You were thinking it."

"Tell me what I was thinking. You're the profiler," he replied, raising his eyebrows at her, challenging her. Kate sat back in her chair and folded her arms defensively across her chest.

"You're a bastard, Gibbs."

"That's not what I was thinking."

"What were you thinking then?" Kate snapped.

"You're not going to get hurt, Kate. I won't let it happen." Kate was surprised at his response; she hadn't thought it would be so personal. Sure, Tony had said those words to her several times throughout the day, but hearing it from her boss was different. After a moment of silence, Kate spoke softly.

"Some things are out of your control, Gibbs." His blue eyes looked deep into her brown ones.

"You will not get hurt." Gibbs said it with such conviction that Kate almost believed it.

"You don't know that. All you can do is watch my back, and I swear to God, you better watch it closely." Gibbs sighed.

"Be prepared for anything," he started saying, but Kate interrupted him.

"Expect the unexpected, I know, Gibbs." Despite it only being Saturday evening, she knew that eventually she would have to start mentally preparing herself to go undercover, and there was no better time to start than the present.

The pair lapsed into silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it wasn't the most pleasant of silences either. Finally, Kate broke the tension that was slowly building between them. "Who do you think did it, Gibbs?" Gibbs raised his eyebrows at the question. He had been expecting her to ask it, but not so explicitly.

"Petty Officer's Robertson and Jackson are my main two concerns."

"Why not Santiago?" Kate asked, surprised to find that Gibbs had crossed him off the list.

"His alibi checked out." Kate sunk into her chair. "Robertson's and Jackson's alibis are not as tight and Benson is too small. I doubt he would have had the strength to do it."

"What about his alibi?"

"I checked with the chaplain at the base and he confirmed that Benson was in the chapel at the time of both of the murders."

"What if Ducky's time of death is incorrect?" Kate asked. Gibbs stared down at her.

"To your knowledge, has Ducky's time of death ever been incorrect?" Gibbs said, defending his oldest and dearest friend.

"No, but…"

"Exactly," Gibbs said, cutting her off.

The waitress arrived at that moment with Kate's salad and Gibbs' burger. Gibbs picked up his burger and bit into it whilst Kate simply pushed the salad around on her plate with her fork. Gibbs noticed that Kate was playing with her food and so he set his burger back down on his plate, finishing his mouthful. "I took you to dinner to eat, not play with your food." Kate slumped her shoulders and set her fork down. She stared intently at the middle of her plate, avoiding eye contact with her boss.

"I'm not hungry," Kate said, continuing to stare at her plate.

"Eat."

"Who do you think you are? My father?" Kate retorted, venom evident in her voice. She had torn her eyes away from her plate to glare at Gibbs.

"Keep acting like that and I'll have no choice. Now, eat."

"You're a bastard, you know that."

"So you keep telling me." Gibbs looked at Kate smugly and waited for her to pick up her fork and begin eating. She sighed in exasperation and complied with his orders. Slowly but surely, Kate ate her salad, shooting Gibbs evil looks as she did. Gibbs just ate his burger and fries with a satisfactory smirk on his face.

A short while later, the waitress came around to clear their plates away. "Can we grab two coffees," Gibbs said. The waitress nodded and left to go and prepare them. She returned a few minutes later and set the coffees down in front of the two uncommunicative agents.

"Thanks, Gibbs," Kate said meekly as she stirred the sugar in her coffee. Gibbs just nodded in response and took a sip of his drink. Kate opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped herself at the last moment. Gibbs picked up on her hesitation.

"What were you going to say?"

"I wasn't going to say anything," Kate lied.

"Yes you were." Kate sighed loudly, knowing that she'd have to tell him.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said, refusing to look at Gibbs. She didn't want to see the disappointment that she knew would be etched all over his face. "As much as you say that you will have my back, I just have this gut feeling that something will go wrong."

"I don't have that feeling, Kate," Gibbs said, trying to reassure her. It wasn't true though; he was being hypocritical, and he knew it. His gut was telling him that something wasn't right, but they'd just have to be extra cautious. "You won't get hurt."

"So you keep telling me," Kate said, mimicking what Gibbs had said to her earlier when she had called him a bastard. "The attacker is violent. He's already raped and murdered two women. We have no evidence. How can I not think that something bad will happen?"

"Kate, you're a good agent. You're one of the best. I won't let anything happen to you, ok? You have my word." Kate opened her mouth in shock. Gibbs had just complimented her on her abilities as an agent, but she was still rather sceptical about going undercover.

"Your word might not be good enough."

* * *

Well, that's it for Chapter 10. Please review it… just type what you thought of it; it only takes a second! Thanks! 


	11. Chapter 11

**Expect The Unexpected**

Rating: T

As I'm sure you may have noticed, I changed the title of my fic now (it was Resilience) but it didn't really fit with the direction it was going. This title is slightly better!

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up; it got a little bit hard to write towards the end of it, but I managed... not sure how well though! Anyways, enjoy! And don't forget to review!

**

* * *

Part 11**

Gibbs and Kate returned to NCIS together, but there was an obvious strain between them. Neither of them had said a word since Kate had told Gibbs that his word to keep her safe would not be good enough. Kate felt bad about undermining Gibbs' abilities to protect her, but she couldn't hide behind her own insecurities. She wasn't sure if Gibbs was angry with her for what she had said, but she decided to let it rest. They both sat down at their desks and picked up their own copy of Ducky's autopsy report to read. Kate felt this was the best way to learn what the attacker had done and was capable of doing. Gibbs did the same, but he had an ulterior motive; he just wanted to wait until Tony and McGee returned at 2000.

Tony entered the bullpen in his sweats, like Gibbs had asked, just before 2000. McGee had arrived only moments before him and both were immediately aware of the tension between Gibbs and Kate. Kate smiled at McGee as he entered, but ignored Tony, obviously still angry with him for stopping her from watching the simulation again.

"Kate, go and put your sweats on," Gibbs said standing up and walking over to his filing cabinet. It was the first time he'd spoken to her in almost two hours. Kate rolled her eyes and picked up her backpack from underneath her desk. She slung it over her shoulder and walked off to the bathrooms to change. Tony and McGee exchanged curious glances. Gibbs got his sweats out from the bottom draw of the filing cabinet and headed off in the same direction as Kate.

"Did we miss something, Probie?" Tony asked, as he stared at his boss' retreating back.

"I'm not sure, but something is definitely up," McGee replied.

"They're not agreeing about something."

"I thought that was kinda obvious, Tony."

"Shut up, McGeek, nobody asked for your opinion." McGee rolled his eyes at Tony, who continued to speak. "They're together!"

"Together?" McGee repeated.

"Kate and Gibbs. They're sleeping together. I can't believe I didn't notice it earlier!"

"Are you sure? I don't think either of them would break regulations like that. They've probably just had a fight."

"No way, this is more than a fight. Did you see the look she gave him when he told her to put on her sweats? I reckon she would have shot him if she had had been given the opportunity! They're definitely sleeping together!" Tony exclaimed. He turned away from McGee and sat down at his computer.

McGee thought that he saw a hint of disappointment on Tony's face when he had come to the conclusion that Kate and Gibbs were together. He kept his mouth shut though, not wanting to give Tony an opportunity to snap at him. McGee stood in the middle of the bullpen whilst Tony fumbled on his computer, waiting for Gibbs and Kate to return.

Several minutes later, the four agents were in the bullpen in their sweats. "All of you, follow me," Gibbs said, making his way to the elevator. They fell into step behind him and waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive. The doors opened and Abby jumped out at them.

"Hey guys! Whoa! There is definitely something hinky going on!"

"Hinky?" Gibbs said, staring at Abby, who stood in the middle of the elevator. Nobody made any attempt to move.

"Yeah! Hinky! You all look like you're going to kill each other."

"Not a moment too soon," Tony mumbled under his breath. Unfortunately, Gibbs had heard it and had snapped around to face him.

"Care to share that, DiNozzo?"

"Um, ah, no, sorry, boss," Tony faltered. Kate smirked.

"Good. Now, get in." They obediently stepped into the elevator, and kept their eyes fixed directly in front of them. Gibbs pushed the button on the panel and the doors closed. The elevator went down and the doors opened. They stepped out of the elevator and followed Gibbs into the NCIS Gym.

"Ah, the gym?" Tony questioned.

"No, DiNozzo, the shopping mall. What the hell do you think?" Gibbs barked. Tony dropped his eyes in embarrassment. They opened the doors to the gym and walked inside. Being eight o'clock, the NCIS gym was deserted. A solitary light lit up the room. Gibbs flicked the light switches, suddenly bathing the room with light.

"Tony, McGee, Abs," Gibbs said, turning around to face them, "go sit and watch. Kate, you're with me." Kate followed Gibbs to the padded mats in the middle of the floor whilst the remaining three made their way over to sit on the bench. Gibbs stood in front of Kate. "Did you watch the simulation?" Kate looked over at Tony and then back to Gibbs.

"Yes."

"And did you read Ducky's autopsy report?"

"Twice."

"So you have some sort of idea of what happened?"

"Sort of, yes."

"This is just another activity to prepare you." Kate wrinkled her eyebrows at Gibbs, not understanding what he had meant. He reached into the pocket of his track pants and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Kate gasped when she saw them. Abby slapped a hand over her mouth in shock and Tony and McGee's eyes widened in the realisation of what Gibbs intended on doing.

"Gibbs," Kate said quietly.

"Do you trust me?" He asked Kate, looking directly into her eyes. She nodded silently. "Then you understand why I'm doing this."

"I understand," Kate whispered. She turned around and put her hands behind her back, giving her boss the opportunity to put the handcuffs on her. He put the cuffs on her gently.

"You won't have the use of your arms, so you're going to have to fight with your legs," he said as he fastened them on her wrists. Before she had the chance to respond, he kicked her legs out from underneath her and let her fall to the ground. The three spectators gasped as Kate fell. Gibbs moved around and stood at her feet. "Expect the unexpected, Kate." Kate was lying uncomfortably on her back with her hands cuffed behind her. She caught her breath and then tried to sit up. Gibbs dropped down to his knees, pinning her legs underneath him, and placed his hands on either side of her body. "Fight me, Kate."

"How, Gibbs? I can't even sit up."

"Fight me."

"HOW?" Kate screamed in frustration. A tear slid down her face.

"You have to fight me, Agent Todd. You can't just lie there." As he spoke, Gibbs leant forward so that his face was merely inches away from Kate's.

"He's beaten me, Gibbs. The moment he puts those cuffs on me, I'm gone."

"You have not been beaten, Kate, until you have given up." Gibbs stood up and helped Kate sit up.

"Get me out of these," Kate said.

"Fight, Kate."

"GET ME OUT OF THESE," Kate shouted, her voice resonating off the walls of the gym. Another tear ran down her face. Tony stood up from the bench and went to comfort Kate, but was stopped by Abby, who pulled him back down.

"This is between Gibbs and Kate. Let them sort it out," she whispered to Tony. Gibbs pulled the key out of his pocket and walked behind Kate. He gently uncuffed her. He placed a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off and walked over to the punching bag on the other side of the room.

Kate put on the boxing gloves and then began to punch and kick the large bag in front of her. Gibbs stood in the middle and watched Kate berate the bag in anger. McGee looked over at Abby with a relieved expression on his face. He was glad that it wasn't him on the receiving end of her rage. Abby nodded at McGee understandingly. She truly felt sorry for Kate. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.

After watching Kate punch and kick the bag at least twenty times, Abby decided that she could no longer stand to just sit on the bench in the gym and watch her best friend vent her anger like that. Abby stood up and walked over to Kate to comfort her.

"Kate," Abby said as she stood behind Kate. "Kate," Abby said again, her voice hushed to a whisper. When Kate continued to punch the bag, Abby reached out and spun Kate around to face her. She was shocked to see tears streaming down Kate's face and Kate making no attempt to wipe them away.

Abby did the only thing she that felt she could do; she drew Kate into her arms and hugged her tightly. She felt Kate resist and struggle against her, but as soon as she realised that it was Abby who was comforting her, she relaxed into her arms and began to sob uncontrollably. Kate regained her composure after a few minutes and pulled back, out of Abby's arms.

"Sorry, Abs," Kate said meekly.

"Hey, no sweat," the lab technician said. Abby rested her hands on Kate's upper arms. "Now go over there and fight him!" Kate chuckled. Abby was relieved to see Kate smile.

"No cuffs this time," Kate said, punching her boxing glove-clad hands together. "He's going down." Kate said. She winked at Abby and walked over to where Gibbs was standing.

Gibbs could see the tear marks on her cheeks, but thought it wise not to say anything. "You want to fight?" Kate asked, cocking her head at him. "Then let's do it." Gibbs raised his eyebrows and walked over to the bench where there lay another pair of boxing gloves. He picked them up and put them on.

"I hope you're up to the challenge, Agent Todd," Gibbs said, as he walked back over to Kate.

They stood opposite each other, hands in front of their bodies, ready to strike at any moment. Gibbs lunged forward and tried to jab Kate with his left hand. She skilfully blocked him, and stepped back. Gibbs jabbed at her again, and for the second time, Kate blocked his punch.

"Not bad, Todd," Gibbs said to her as he blocked one of her punches. Secretly, he was glad that she had successfully blocked him. He knew she needed to win, for the sake of her own sanity, but he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

Abby went and sat back down on the bench in between Tony and McGee, and together, they watched the fight with interest. "Twenty bucks says Kate wins," Abby whispered.

"I don't know, Abs," Tony replied, his voice just as soft. "Gibbs is pretty good in the boxing ring."

"Yeah, but Kate wants to win," Abby replied. "Kate needs to win."

"She will," McGee said. "She's better than you think, Tony!"

"Nobody asked you, Probie," Tony hissed. "I'll take that bet, Abs."

"Kate's going to kill you for betting against her," Abby said to Tony, as she shook his hand in acceptance of the bet. "You better be ready to fight her once she's done with Gibbs!" They turned their attention back to the agents fighting it out in the boxing ring.

Gibbs and Kate walked around in circles, eying each other off. Suddenly, Gibbs lunged at Kate, but Kate skilfully grabbed his hand and flipped him over. Gibbs landed on his back with a thud and Kate stood over him, grinning broadly.

Her glory was short lived, however, when Gibbs kicked his legs out, tripping Kate up. She fell backwards, and laid back in resignation. Gibbs sat up quickly and moved over to her, pinning her underneath him for the second time that evening. He looked into Kate's eyes. "Thought you were going to fight, Kate?" Gibbs said sarcastically. Kate took a deep breath and, with all the strength she could muster, she rolled over, finishing with Gibbs underneath her.

"I am," Kate said, smirking at her boss lying beneath her. She thought that she had the former marine pinned, but suddenly, he kicked out his legs and Kate went flying over him. It was her turn to land on her back with a thud. They both lay on their backs, fighting for breath.

"Do you give in, Agent Todd?" Gibbs said playfully.

"You said it yourself, Gibbs, you have not been beaten until you have given up," Kate replied. "And I, Agent Gibbs, have not given up." She picked herself up off the mat and walked around to Gibbs' feet. She stood looking down at him with her hands on her hips. Gibbs got up from the mat and stood face-to-face with Kate.

"Good," Gibbs said bluntly. "Now, remember that feeling when you need it the most. This fight is over." Gibbs ripped the boxing gloves from his hands and threw them on the ground. Kate gave Gibbs a puzzled look, clearly not understanding what he had meant. "You just said that you hadn't given up. Keep that feeling." Kate nodded and followed Gibbs' lead by removing her gloves.

Gibbs looked over at the three confused spectators sitting on the bench, watching eagerly to see who had won. "Looks like you all lose the bet," Gibbs said, smirking at them. The three of them exchanged looks of horror. They didn't understand how he had heard them. They had been whispering between themselves whilst Gibbs had seemed totally focussed on Kate.

"You guys bet on that?" Kate asked incredulously. The three of them sunk into the bench with sheepish looks on their faces. "I can't believe you!"

"What was the bet?" Gibbs asked. Abby looked at Tony, expecting him to answer.

"Twenty bucks," Tony said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I was so sure I was going to be twenty bucks richer too." Kate looked over at Gibbs, wondering who had bet on whom to win.

"Who'd you bet on, DiNozzo?" Kate asked, walking over and standing in front of Tony.

"I, ah, bet on Gibbs to win," Tony replied awkwardly. Kate looked as though she would slap him across the face.

"I had twenty on Kate," Abby cut in, seeing the hurt and anger in Kate's expression. "And McGee thought Kate would win too."

"You wanna fight me, DiNozzo?" Kate asked, challenging him to a round or two in the ring. He shifted uncomfortably on the bench. "Or are you scared?"

"Me? Scared? You've got to be kidding!" Tony said, standing up, just inches from Kate's face. "You're on!" Kate walked back over to the boxing ring and picked up the same pair of boxing gloves that she had removed only moments ago. Tony put on the pair that Gibbs had been wearing.

Gibbs went and sat down next to Abby in the spot that Tony had vacated.

"This is going to be very interesting, Gibbs!" Abby said in his ear. He turned to look at her. "She's so going to kick his arse!"

"No bets on this one, then," Gibbs said, "since we're all in agreement." He smiled at Abby before looking over at Kate and Tony, who were already lunging at each other. He poised himself on the edge of his seat, ready to jump up and intervene if necessary. He'd felt the tension between them earlier when they had come back from Abby's lab, and realised that they were now going to try and relieve that tension by fighting it out, which probably wasn't a good idea.

Both his agents were extremely stubborn and competitive, which made Gibbs think that there was possibly something more than friendship between them. "Abs, is there something going on between Kate and DiNozzo?" Abby looked at Gibbs and began to laugh.

"Gibbs, that's hilarious!" Gibbs gave her an extremely confused look.

"What?" He asked, unsure as to why his lab technician was laughing at him.

"Ah, boss, Agent DiNozzo thinks that you are, ah, that you, sir, are involved with Agent Todd," McGee said in place of Abby, who was unable to contain her laughter.

"He what!" Gibbs shrieked. Kate and Tony stopped fighting as soon as they heard their boss' raised voice. Abby suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Gibbs. Kate's eyes darted to Tony, her face a picture of confusion. Tony's expression mirrored Kate's.

"Ah, is something wrong, boss?" Tony asked. Gibbs looked straight back at him, his face expressionless.

"It's nothing, guys," Abby said next to Gibbs. She leant over and whispered in his ear; "Let them continue the fight. They need to work off that tension." Gibbs nodded in agreement, knowing that she was right.

"No, DiNozzo, get back to what you were doing!" Tony looked over at Kate with the most confused expression that Kate had ever seen.

Kate and Tony picked up from where they left off, and Gibbs watched on in amusement. He had no idea how Tony had managed to think that he was involved with Kate. The only possible explanation was that he had seen too many movies. "Are you sure that it's safe to let Agent Todd fight Tony?" McGee asked, tentatively.

"Kate can handle him," Gibbs said, his voice showing no emotion.

"I know she can handle him," McGee replied, "but can he handle her?"

Kate and Tony continued to fight; each punch Kate threw was harder and faster than the one before. Tony was ducking and blocking as many as he could, but Kate was good, and she was making contact with Tony's body more than Gibbs' had realised.

Tony knew he was getting beaten, so he relented. He took a quick step backwards, so that Kate could no longer reach him, and held his hands up in defeat.

"I give up," Tony said to Kate, "you win." He undid the Velcro on the gloves and took them off.

"Told you she would beat him," Abby said excitedly, clapping her hands. Kate and Tony turned their attention to the three spectators seated on the bench.

"You guys bet on that, too?" Kate said again.

"Nope," Gibbs said.

"We all knew that Kate would beat Tony, so we didn't bother!" Abby said, practically jumping up and down on the bench. Tony pursed his lips in anger. McGee let out a small laugh, and Gibbs looked at Tony with a large smirk on his face. Kate smiled; it was comforting to know that they all believed in her.

"Most people learn by observation," she said, as she ripped off the Velcro on her boxing gloves, "and there are few who learn by experimentation. And then there are people like Tony, who actually touch the fire to see if it's really hot!" she finished, throwing the boxing gloves onto the floor. The three on the bench laughed, causing Tony to glare evilly at Kate.

"Alright," Gibbs said as he stood up. "Get out of here. Go home." He turned around and gave Abby his hand so that she could pull herself up from the bench. McGee got up and walked out of the gym, with Abby following close behind, leaving Kate, Tony and Gibbs alone.

Gibbs ran a hand through his silvery hair and walked slowly over to his two subordinates. "Are you ok, Kate?" Gibbs asked, as he approached them.

"I'm fine," Kate said, half-heartedly.

"Kate, you've said that so many times today that it's not even sounding like a word anymore," Tony said, looking straight at her.

"I want you to be prepared," Gibbs said, trying to ignore the emotion behind Tony's words. Gibbs opened his mouth to continue, but Kate cut him off.

"What are you going to do now, Gibbs? Rape me so that I know what that feels like too?" Kate said harshly, her voice getting louder with every word. She pushed past them and stormed out of the gym, leaving the two male agents to stare at her retreating back.

* * *

Done! Sorry it was long, but I couldn't help it! Please review and tell me what you thought! 


	12. Chapter 12

**Expect The Unexpected**

Rating: T

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Author's Notes: The reviews have been fantastic. I'm really glad that everyone is enjoying it. Keep them up though, I can always use a few more reviews for more inspiration! I have kinda hit a wall at the moment!

Thanks again to Annie-M's genius editing and Loz's brilliant ideas!

Hope you all had a great Christmas and a have a great new year!

* * *

**Part 12**

Gibbs stood in his basement next to his boat and looked at his watch. It was now 2300. It had been two hours since Kate's words in the gym had virtually slapped him across the face. He hadn't meant to offend her. Hell, he'd only been trying to prepare her to go undercover. The way he saw it, he was only doing his job. He picked up the cup of coffee that sat in front of him and took a sip. He knew he should apologise to her; he had pushed her too hard and he knew it. He picked his cell up and flipped it open. Suddenly, he snapped the phone shut and put it in his pocket. It was too late to call her. It would just have to wait til morning. He put his coffee down in resignation and continued sanding the wood, making it as smooth as it could possibly be. At that moment, sanding his boat took on a double meaning; not only was he smoothing out the roughened edges of the wood, but he was also smoothing out the roughened edges of his mind and clearing his head, allowing him to think straight.

The fact that Kate was already on edge before the undercover operation had even started did not sit well with Gibbs. He trusted her and he trusted her instinct, which is why he was now starting to have doubts about flushing out the killer using Kate as bait. He'd never seen Kate lose it like that at work before and it scared him. Gibbs was scared and it was a completely foreign feeling. 'First time for everything,' Gibbs thought to himself.

As his arms moved up and down, along the timber frame of the boat, he cast his mind back to the conversation he had had with Kate over dinner. She had questioned his abilities as an agent, and he didn't like it. He knew that she trusted him; she'd admitted as much when she let him put the handcuffs on her, but this went deeper than that. She didn't feel safe, and it was up to him to do something about it. He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it at eleven o'clock at night. Uncharacteristically, he put the sander down and wandered slowly up the stairs to his bedroom, where, for the first time in years, he went to sleep at a 'decent' hour.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kate sat dejectedly on her couch, reflecting on the day's events. She first remembered trying to profile the killer when she had gotten to work, before remembering sitting through the fourteen interrogations with Tony. His actions that morning had taken her by surprise; firstly, when he had offered to get her some food, and then the times he had placed his hand on her shoulder to offer her support. It was a kind gesture, one that she hadn't thought she would ever receive from someone like Tony. She wished that the events in the gym hadn't taken place, but there wasn't anything she could do to take them back. She looked down at her hands and stared blankly at her wrists, which only hours before had been handcuffed behind her back. 

She fought back tears as she recalled what had happened between her and Gibbs while she had had the handcuffs on. The feeling of helplessness washed over her and Kate shook her arms violently, as if to rid herself of that uncomfortable sensation. She remembered Gibbs pinning her down, sitting over her thighs. A scene from Abby's simulation flashed in front of her and she shuddered. The way that she was positioned on the floor back in the gym, with Gibbs over her, was exactly how Abby had designed it. She absent-mindedly reached behind her on the couch and grabbed the blanket that was neatly folded over the back. She threw it over her and lay down on her side on the couch and closed her eyes, trying to relax and let sleep overcome her.

Kate was disorientated when she woke up the following morning on the couch. She grunted as she opened her eyes to look at the clock on the VCR. It read 8:16. She pulled the blanket up around her tightly and rolled onto her back. She was beginning to drift off to sleep when the silence was shattered by the shrill of her cell phone ringing. Whoever was calling her at this hour on a Sunday morning had better not have a death wish; she would have been quite content to go back to sleep for a few more hours. She sat up and leant forward, grabbing her cell phone off the coffee table in front of her. She flicked it open and placed it next to her ear without checking the caller id. "Agent Todd," she said as she answered.

"Kate," came the gruff reply.

"Gibbs?"

"The one and only." She could practically hear him smirking into the phone.

"Did you want something?" Kate asked rudely.

"About yesterday," Gibbs said, "I just want you to know that I was just doing my job. I wanted to make sure that you are prepared for this." He drew a breath and waited for her to respond.

"Is that your way of apologising?" She said after a moment's silence.

"I suppose it is," he said dejectedly. Kate didn't respond, which prompted Gibbs to speak. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine,"

"That answer won't cut it, and you know it." He heard Kate sigh deeply into the phone.

"What is it that you want me to say, Gibbs?"

"The truth, Kate. I want the truth." Kate sighed again, so Gibbs continued. "I want to know if you still want to go through with this. If you don't think that you can do it, I won't put you in. I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks."

"Sounds like you're worried about me, Gibbs," Kate responded, sounding slightly more like her usual bubbly self.

"Kate," he stressed, "are you up to it or not? I don't particularly want to have to deal with the fallout."

"And here I was thinking that you cared," retorted Kate, reverting back to the rude manner that she had used at the beginning of the phone call.

"I care about what happens to all of my agents, Kate."

"Look, Gibbs, if there was something you wanted, now is the time to ask."

"No, I didn't want anything else. Just make sure that you are at NCIS tomorrow at 0600."

"Fine," Kate said, "I'll see you tomorrow." She closed her phone without waiting for Gibbs to respond; it was very uncharacteristic for Kate to do that, and to do it to Gibbs of all people, well, she must have been pretty angry.

Gibbs pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it with widened eyes. Kate had just hung up on him. Gibbs couldn't remember the last time that someone had hung up on him, largely because he never really gave anyone the opportunity to do so. He put his cell phone on the bench near his coffee maker and walked out of the kitchen.

Barely a minute later, he found himself in his basement, his sanctuary, admiring his boat. He ran his hand over the piece of wood that he had sanded last night. It felt smooth under his roughened fingers. Sighing, he picked up the sand paper and began smoothing over another piece of wood. He soon lost himself in the methodical movements and let himself forget, albeit momentarily, about the undercover operation that would be in full flight in just twenty-four hours.

Kate needed to vent. She needed to get all of this built-up anger out of her system, and she needed to do it fast. She stood up from the couch and went into her bedroom, where she promptly changed into a clean pair of sweats. She sat on her pristinely-made bed and fastened her runners. Participating in strenuous physical activity in the past had always relaxed Kate, so she figured that this morning wouldn't be any different. She was stressed and she needed to clear her head. She pushed her self up from her bed and made her way back out to the couch to grab her cell phone. She clipped it onto the waistband of her pants, grabbed her keys and left.

The cool, crisp air consumed Kate when she stepped outside. She zipped her jacket up all the way and made her way onto the sidewalk. She broke out into a light jog and focussed her mind on keeping a steady rhythm in her step. Her breathing deepened as she aimed for maximum oxygen intake, clearing her lungs and her mind. She let the rhythm of her steps take over. Her feet pounded the sidewalk as she ran down her street. She rounded a corner and began making her way to a nearby park. As she turned into the street, she noticed people congregating out the front of a small church that she had once frequented. She glanced down at her watch as she continued running; it was almost nine o'clock.

It had been several months since Kate had been to church. Work just seemed to always get in the way. As she ran past the front of the church, Kate looked at the children playing out the front. They were a picture of innocence, an innocence Kate hoped that they would have forever. In her line of work though, innocence was hard to come by, and seeing it in those children playing happily made Kate feel somewhat refreshed.

* * *

Tony hadn't slept as well as Kate or Gibbs; in fact, he hadn't slept so badly in almost twelve months. He was angry at himself and at Gibbs for what had happened yesterday with Kate. He'd only just woken up and he felt like he hadn't slept at all. He looked over at the clock on his bedside table; 9am. He groaned and pulled the pillow out from under his head, throwing it across the room in frustration. He wanted to call Kate and apologise, but he figured that she probably wouldn't want to talk to him; she'd been pretty angry when she left the gym at NCIS last night. Not that he didn't blame her. Hell, if Gibbs had done that to him, Tony would have shot him. He didn't understand how Kate had kept her cool (well, almost) and hadn't punched him or something. 

Tony pulled himself out of bed and stumbled out to his kitchen. He resisted the urge to call Kate; he wasn't particularly in the mood to be hung up on quite so early in the morning. He fixed himself some breakfast and went and sat on the couch in his living room. He turned on his television and began flicking through the channels, looking for something that was actually worth watching. Bugs Bunny suddenly appeared on the screen and so Tony put the remote down to watch it. 'How juvenile', he thought to himself as he ate his toast. 'I'm thirty years old and I'm watching cartoons.'

He finished eating his breakfast and walked dejectedly back to the kitchen to put his dirty plate in the sink. He headed back to his bedroom to take a shower but his eyes were immediately drawn to his cell phone next to his bed. He stood there and stared at it for a moment, debating as to whether or not he should call Kate. He sighed. To call or not to call, that was the question. Tony shuddered at the thought; he had just, in some bizarre way, quoted Shakespeare. Suddenly, he found himself holding his cell phone up to his ear, waiting for Kate to pick up on the other end.

Kate groaned out loud when she felt her phone vibrating on her hip. She continued running as she answered it. "Todd," she said into the phone, easing her pace back a little bit.

"Kate?" Tony said, surprised at the uncharacteristic tone in her voice.

"Tony! What do you want?" Kate replied breathlessly.

"Whoa, Kate! You sound like you're…"

"Jogging, Tony," Kate interrupted. "I'm jogging."

"Oh," replied Tony, disappointment evident in his voice. By this time, Kate had stopped running, instead opting to walk briskly whilst she talked. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her spare hand. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Was there something you wanted, DiNozzo?" Kate asked, unable to stand the silence.

"I wanted to apologise for what happened yesterday."

"Uh-huh," was Kate's response.

"It wasn't my place to stop you from watching that simulation again."

"You're right. It wasn't your place. You should have let me do my job properly." Tony was taken aback by the edge in Kate's voice and he didn't know how to respond. "Look, Tony, I know you want to protect me. That's your job. You're my partner; you have to watch my back and I appreciate that. But at the same time, I have to make sure that I'm prepared."

"I know, and I should have let you," Tony said. Kate had slowed down to a much more leisurely pace.

"Good, I'm glad that you realise that now," replied Kate, her tone not quite as sharp this time.

"Better late than never," Tony replied, giving a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Well, I, ah, better leave you to it," Tony said meekly, "enjoy the rest of your run."

"I will, thanks," Kate said.

"See ya, Kate,"

"Bye, Tony." There was a pause on either end of the phone. "Are you going to hang up, DiNozzo?"

"You hang up," Tony replied, smiling.

"No, you hang up first!"

"How about we both hang up on the count of three?"

"Ok," Kate said, trying not to laugh at how childish they were both being.

"One, two, three," Tony said slowly. He didn't end the phone call and neither did Kate. They both burst out into laughter simultaneously.

"Ok, I'm hanging up now," Kate managed to say through her laughter.

"Bye, Kate." Tony tore the phone away from his ear and closed it. He shook his head in dismay and chuckled at himself as he put his phone down next to his bed and went to take a shower.

Kate snapped her phone shut and smiled. Tony had been a prick yesterday, and then he had called to make up for it. Taking a deep breath, she put her cell back on her hip and resumed running, quickly regaining the pace that she had before Tony had called. She made her way down the lengthy tree-lined street until she reached the park.

The park was fairly large and had a great running track around the perimeter. There were several trees, a playground for the children and a small lake in the middle. On a Sunday morning, it was a fairly peaceful place to be. Kate began running along the track, when she noticed a familiar brunette woman running towards her. Kate slowed down a bit as the woman approached and let a small smile appear on her face. Judging by the look on the other woman's face, she had seen Kate.

"Agent Todd," she said as she reached Kate.

"Commander Coleman,' Kate replied, greeting her warmly. Kate turned around and began running alongside the Commander. They kept a fairly even pace; not too fast, not too slow.

"What brings you out running this morning?" The Commander asked Kate. Kate merely chuckled.

"It's my way of releasing tension without causing physical harm to others, such as Gibbs or Tony," she said, a large smile on her face.

"I thought as much," replied the Commander.

"What about you, Commander?" Kate asked.

"I'm a creature of habit, Agent Todd. I come running here every Sunday morning."

"Kate," Kate said, "you can call me Kate. We're not at NCIS."

"Faith," replied the Commander, giving her a warm smile that Kate returned easily. They ran in a companionable silence for a few minutes as they completed an entire lap of the park.

They stopped running and made their way over to a bench where they could stretch out their muscles. "You don't have to go undercover if you don't want to, Kate. You can say no," the Commander said softly to Kate, sensing that this case was the cause of her tension and stress.

"Have you ever tried to say 'no' to Gibbs, Faith?" Kate said, slightly unsure of herself. She'd never referred to the Commander by her Christian name before, and it felt a little bizarre and unprofessional.

"Yes," replied Faith.

"And were you successful?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows as she stretched out her calf muscles.

"Not particularly," the Commander said, chuckling. Kate gave her an understanding look. She then remembered what Gibbs had said the previous morning in observation about the Commander.

"So, what's the deal between you and Gibbs?" Kate asked. Faith looked at Kate with a shocked expression on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Commander," Kate said humorously, at the same time slipping back into 'professional' mode. "I know there was something between you."

"What gave you that idea?" The Commander replied, pretending that she had no idea what the younger agent was talking about.

"I can tell these things,"

"Can you now?" The Commander said suggestively. "I think you have been working with Agent Gibbs too long!" Both women laughed.

"So there is a history between you two?"

"Brief, but yes, there is a history between Gibbs and myself."

"How long is the history? Kate joked.

"Long!" Faith replied, chuckling.

"Perhaps you can fill me in sometime this week! I've got a few things to do today," Kate said, looking down at her watch.

"That's fine," said the Commander, "I understand." Kate gave the Commander a small smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Commander, in full marine uniform," Kate's smile widened at the end of her comment.

"Good to hear, Agent Todd," the Commander replied. Kate began to jog away from the Commander, when she spoke again. "And Kate," called the Commander. Kate turned around to face the marine. "You won't be the only one that's armed." Kate nodded in acknowledgement before she turned back around and made her way along the path, heading in the general direction of the apartment.

* * *

Sorry that was so long… I just got carried away! Hope you are still enjoying this! Please review! Happy New Year!   



	13. Chapter 13

**Expect The Unexpected**

Thanks to everyone has reviewed! A few more would be great though… a few more would be great though- I'm struggling writing more on this. I have lost my inspiration! Please review with some ideas!

Thanks to Loz and Annie-M: I couldn't have gotten this far without you!

Well, here is chapter 13. Enjoy!

**

* * *

Part 13**

Kate made her way home quickly, determined to have enough time so that she could have a shower and get ready to go to the eleven o'clock mass at the church around the corner. She showered quickly and fixed herself a quick breakfast before making the short walk to the church. The mass was just about to start as Kate slipped unnoticed into the back row of pews. She focused her eyes on the light that was softly filtering through the stained glass window above the altar of the church and let herself become involved in the hour-long service.

The priest was old, and his words were calm and kind. Kate listened intently throughout his homily. Father O'Connor spoke of the importance for people to be the person that they want to be and to always be truthful to oneself; in doing so, one would be following the teachings of Jesus. 'How ironic,' Kate thought to herself, 'this priest is telling us to always be ourselves when I'm about to go undercover as someone else. Plus, it's hardly very Jesus-like to shoot people as many times as I have.' Despite her thoughts, Kate continued to listen intently.

When mass finished, Kate remained in her seat to pray. Like she had done numerous times as a child, Kate found solace in talking to God. Even if he didn't respond with words, she knew He was listening. Kate was alone in the church for almost twenty minutes before the priest returned from greeting all of the church-goers.

Father O'Connor saw the lone figure the moment he re-entered the church. He walked over to Kate and sat down next to her. He didn't say anything; he knew not to disturb someone deep in prayer. After a moment, however, Kate spoke to him softly, "Father, is there a difference between the person that you think you are and the person that you actually are?" The priest looked at her with kindness in his eyes.

"There is only a difference if you are not honest with yourself, my child." Kate looked at the priest and smiled at him. A comfortable silence filled the church.

"Thank you, Father," Kate said. She rose from her chair and smiled at the priest before walking calmly through the large doors, only stopping to make the sign of the cross as she left.

Kate returned home after mass and made herself some lunch before settling down on her couch with the file that she had brought home. She stared blindly down at the photo that rested gingerly on top. It was a crime scene photo from the first murder. Petty Officer Amanda Stone lay there on the bare concrete, a pool of blood around her head from the wound on her neck. Kate titled her head to one side to take in the scene in the photo. She reached forward slowly and turned the page.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking down at the next photo. It was Petty Officer Marie Silverman in the same position. Kate was sure that she had looked at these photos in excess of one hundred times, but she had never really noticed the sheer quantity of blood. The contrast of the deep red blood against the stark white marine uniform made Kate only want to do one thing. Vomit.

And that's what she did. She got up from the couch quickly and ran to the bathroom, where she promptly emptied her stomach of the food she had just eaten. She stood up and took a face washer out of the cupboard under the sink. She wet it lightly and ran it over her face, wiping away the excess vomit. She put the face washer in the basin and stared down at her trembling hands, convinced that, in less than two weeks, Gibbs and Tony would be taking the same set of photos of her. She leant forward against the bench and breathed evenly and deeply to regain her composure. Kate rinsed her mouth out before returning to her lounge room, where she again noticed the file on the coffee table.

In one swift movement, Kate leant down and swiped her hand over the coffee table, sending the file and its contents everywhere. She stood back up, stunned by her actions. Some of the pages had landed at her feet and so she kicked them out in fury, sending the paper flying once again. She let out a small scream in frustration before bending down to pick up the paper she had strewn all over the room.

Just as she was picking up the last of the papers, there was a knock at the door. Straightening up, Kate put the papers on the table and walked over to answer her door. She pulled it open and stood there, momentarily shocked at who was on the other side. "Tony!" Kate said, her voice squeaking in surprise. Tony stood opposite Kate in casual jeans and a shirt.

"Hey, Todd!" He said, flashing her one of his heart-melting grins.

"Um, hi! What are you doing here?" Kate was slightly flustered. She'd vomited only minutes before and then swept the file off her coffee table in frustration. Seeing Tony on her doorstep had taken her more than by surprise.

"I, ah, came to give you this." Tony held out his right hand to Kate. She looked down at it and noticed that he was holding a CD.

"What is it?"

"A CD,"

"I can see that, DiNozzo," Kate said sharply. "What's on it?"

"Can I come in?" Tony asked cautiously.

"Yeah, sure, you'll have to excuse the mess though," Kate replied, holding the door open for Tony. He stepped inside her apartment and waited for her to close the door and lead him in. He'd only ever been to Kate's apartment a handful of times, but he'd always just waited by the door whilst she collected her things, ready to leave. This was the first time, however, that he was going further than just the door. Kate led him down the short passageway to the living room.

"Nice apartment you've got here, Kate."

"Thanks," she said, "take a seat." Tony nodded and sat down on one of the couches. He noticed the open file on the coffee table, the pages out of order and in a messy pile.

Kate was a little uneasy with Tony showing up unannounced at her apartment, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She couldn't really slam the door in his face or throw him out on his arse. She just did what any respectable host would do. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Nah, I'm right, thanks Kate." She moved and sat down on the other couch. Tony reached out and placed the CD on the coffee table. "I thought you might want this." Kate picked it up and looked over it for a label, finding none. "You'll need your computer to run it." Kate nodded and walked out of the room, returning moments later with her laptop.

She put it down on the coffee table and switched it on before turning back to the file and attempting to put the pages up the right way in and in order. Tony placed a hand on top of one of Kate's and looked her in the eye. "I'm guessing that you had a bit of a run-in with the file?" Tony said, in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah, something like that," Kate said, feigning a smile at him. She leant over and typed her password into her laptop, waiting for it to load.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really, Tony. Just look at these photos," Kate said, fishing out the photos that she had been looking at earlier, "the next one is going to be me." Tony saw the fear and pain etched on Kate's face. He placed his other hand on top of Kate's knee.

"It's not going to be you," Tony replied, looking deep into her eyes. "Put the CD in." He pointed to her computer, which had now loaded and was waiting to be used. Kate opened up the disc drive and popped the CD in gently. Tony flicked his eyes from Kate to the computer and then back to Kate, waiting to see her reaction. A blank page appeared on the screen. Tony took his hand of Kate's knee and leant forward and pressed 'enter'. Kate's hands flew to her face when she saw what had appeared on the screen.

It was the simulation that Gibbs had asked Abby to design for Kate to demonstrate how the attacks had occurred. "Oh…my…god," Kate said, through hurried breaths.

"I went back to headquarters this morning and burnt you a copy. I figured you'd feel better if you were able to see it again." Kate looked at Tony and fought back tears. Tony wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Thanks," whispered Kate. Tony reached out again and placed his hand lightly on her knee.

"I meant it, you know, about not letting anything happen to you." Kate let the tears escape, and soon, she was sobbing loudly. He moved to sit next to her on the couch and enveloped her in a hug. He stroked her hair softly as he waited for her to calm down.

"I'm so scared, Tony," Kate said, wiping away tears.

"It's ok to be scared," he said, as he rested his hands on her shoulders, "but we're all going to have your back. You're not going to die."

"I'm not afraid of dying," Kate replied, looking him straight in the eye. Tony was slightly confused by her comment. If she wasn't afraid of dying, what was it that she was afraid of?

"I don't understand," Tony said, voicing his confusion.

"I'm not scared of dying. I know that you won't let that happen." Tony nodded and so Kate continued, "But what if you get there too late, what if he's already…" Kate trailed off and looked down at her hands in her lap.

Suddenly, it all became clear to Tony. He cursed himself for being so dense that he hadn't realised it earlier. Yes, he had realised that she was going to be bait for a murdering rapist, but they'd all been so caught up with the final murder than the initial rape. Effectively, it was Kate at the mercy of the rapist.

Kate bit her lip and fought back the tears that threatened to fall again. "I trust both you and Gibbs," she continued, "I trust you both with my life, but I don't know if I can trust you with this." Tony's heart shattered at that moment. Kate was like a sister to him and he hated seeing her get hurt, but it had never been his fault before. If she got hurt this time, he shuddered to think of the fallout. Tony feared that the emotional scars would greatly outweigh the physical scars, but he didn't know by how much.

"I understand," Tony said feebly. He didn't know how to reassure her; he didn't know if he could. He turned his attention back to the laptop where the simulation had been playing and pressed 'enter' to stop it.

"Thank you." Her reply was barely audible, but it was heartfelt. Tony stood up from the couch and walked away from Kate. She watched his retreating back and began sobbing all over again. No more than twenty seconds before, he had been comforting her, and now he was just walking away.

Kate was surprised to find Tony returning a few minutes later with a glass of water in one hand, and a box of tissues in the other. He set them down on the coffee table and sat back on the couch next to her. Tony placed one hand on her back and rubbed it gently in soothing circles until her tears subsided. He held a tissue out to her as she looked up at him. "Thanks," she said meekly, before taking it and dabbing it around her teary eyes. "I'm sorry that I don't trust you," she said, "well, I do trust you, but just not…"

"It's ok, Kate, I understand," Tony replied, as he passed her the glass of water. Kate accepted the glass and took several elegant sips from it before setting it back down on the coffee table. "I can't even imagine how hard this must be for you."

"I don't think many people can, Tony." Kate looked over at her VCR for the time and was surprised to see that it was almost dinnertime. "Um, did you wanna stay and grab something for dinner?"

"Yeah, sure," responded Tony, trying to keep his surprise hidden. "That sounds great." Kate closed the lid on her laptop and stood up from the couch.

"Is pizza ok? We'll get it delivered. I can't be bothered going out."

"Pizza is fine with me. As long as it's meatlovers!"

* * *

Well, that's it's for part 13. If you've got any ideas for the next few parts, I'd love to hear them! I'm getting a bit stumped! Thanks again! 


	14. Chapter 14

**Expect The Unexpected**

Thanks to everyone has reviewed! They definitely gave me some inspiration to write this chapter, but I'm still struggling! Help!

Please review!

Also, I owe a huge "Thank You" to Loz and Annie-M: I couldn't have gotten this far without you!

Well, here is chapter 14. Kate finally goes undercover!

**

* * *

Part 14**

At 0530 the following morning, Kate began the drive to the NCIS Headquarters. As she drove, Kate reflected on the events of yesterday, namely her dinner with Tony. They'd ordered pizza and sat watching the television, talking amicably. They talked about their respective childhoods, college experiences, and their first impressions of everybody at NCIS. The one topic that they stayed well away from was 'the case'. In fact, Kate was surprised at how much she had enjoyed spending the time with Tony. He'd managed to make her feel relaxed and less anxious; just as he had done yesterday at lunch with Abby and McGee.

He hadn't been childish or chauvinistic; he had been sincere and mature. Kate chuckled to herself. 'Tony' and 'mature' weren't words that she would usually associate with each other, but in the past twenty-four hours, she had seen a change in Tony. He'd become protective and supportive. She was touched that he had shown such concern for her, and she was surprised at the uncharacteristic hug goodbye that he had given her when he had left her apartment later that evening.

Kate navigated her way through the quiet streets on her way to work. They were dark and deserted, but you'd expect as much considering that it wasn't even 6am. She drove into the undercover carpark and pulled into her designated car space. As she switched off her engine, she noticed that both Tony and Gibbs' cars were already there.

After being cleared by security officers in the NCIS foyer, she walked quickly up to the bullpen. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as the elevator reached their floor and the doors opened. The bullpen was dimly lit; the only light coming from the few desk lamps that had been left on and the lights outside filtering through the windows. Her entrance to the bullpen was met by silence; those in the room followed her with their eyes as she made her way to her desk and set her handbag on top. It was only once she had done that did she acknowledge the three people already in the bullpen.

Tony, Gibbs and Commander Coleman stood by Gibbs' desk and watched as Kate set her things down and turned to look at them. "Morning, Kate," Tony said quietly, breaking the almost eerie silence that had descended upon the room.

"Hi," Kate replied, making contact with them all. She couldn't think of anything else to say. Tony walked over to his desk and sat down. He pretended to leaf through one of the files on his desk. Since Kate's arrival only moments ago, the atmosphere in the bullpen had become extremely tense, understandably, and it was making Tony uncomfortable. He just wanted to get it over with.

The sooner they got moving, the sooner the whole operation would be over- with Kate alive and unharmed.

"Here is your uniform. Go and put it on now, Kate," Gibbs said, his voice just above a whisper. He held out a coat hanger with a stark white navy uniform hanging from it. Kate moved out from her desk and accepted the uniform from Gibbs with a small smile. She felt everyone's eyes on her as she walked towards the bathrooms to get changed.

"Gibbs, this is so wrong," Tony said from his desk.

"But necessary," Gibbs said immediately, cutting Tony off.

"Is it?" Tony shot back. "Is it worth losing Kate?"

"We won't lose her."

"Physically, maybe. But emotionally, this will kill her. This is already killing her and it hasn't even started yet."

"I spoke to Agent Todd yesterday morning," the Commander said, speaking for the first time since Kate had arrived. Gibbs raised his eyebrows in surprise. The same expression was clearly evident on Tony's face. Kate hadn't said anything to him about speaking with the Commander. "She seemed fairly composed."

"Well, she wasn't composed when I saw her last night." Tony stood up to defend Kate. "She was distraught. I'd never seen her like that before."

"We've got her six, Tony. She doesn't need to worry." Gibbs' eyes bore down on Tony.

"Try telling her that. She knows that we're not going to let her die, but it's the bit before that that she is scared about." Gibbs looked at Tony; his confusion at Tony's comment was more than evident. "Rape, boss, that's what happened to the other two Petty Officer's before they died."

Gibbs threw his head back in frustration. He had tried to prepare Kate to fight her attacker with her hands cuffed behind her, but he hadn't even considered the possibility of sexual assault.

"She's not going to be raped, DiNozzo. Do you think that I would let that happen to one of my best field agents?"

"Famous last words," Tony said, returning the glare that he had received from Gibbs.

McGee entered the bullpen just as Tony had been telling Gibbs, in a rather loud voice, that Kate was afraid of being raped. He stood by the elevators unnoticed as Gibbs replied and was rooted to the floor upon hearing Tony's response in regards to Gibbs', "famous last words." McGee didn't know what to do. Tony and Gibbs were not seeing eye-to-eye, and he was unsure of whether or not it was safe for him to walk over to his desk.

"Agent Todd will be under my supervision," the Commander said, breaking the tension that was nearing its peak. "Agent DiNozzo, I will not let anything happen to her. You have my word. Agent Gibbs and I have discussed this at length. She will not be the only person to be armed. I will be watching her six, as you so eloquently put it."

"Tony, I've had McGee at Norfolk all night putting up surveillance cameras that will feed straight through to MTAC, and you will be at Norfolk today. As of tomorrow, we will all be at Norfolk. She won't get hurt."

McGee took this as his opportunity to make his entrance. He walked tentatively into the bullpen and placed his backpack on his desk, breaking the eye contact between Tony and Gibbs. "It's all set up, Boss," McGee said, as he turned on the plasma. "I've got the cameras in the office, the corridor and surrounding areas."

"Feeding through to MTAC?" Gibbs questioned.

"And through to the computers here, boss. I've also installed a card on the computer in your office, Commander, just to be on the safe side," McGee said, as he acknowledged the Commander's presence in the bullpen. "And as per what you said to me last night about operational procedures, I need to install a microchip on Tony's laptop so that he will be able to see everything. Then it will all be set up."

"Good work, McGee. Go and take a shower to freshen up. You look like crap," Gibbs said. McGee, however, didn't make any movements indicating that he was going to leave. Instead, he sat down at his desk and began searching around in his draw for a microchip to put in Tony's computer.

"Just have to put this microchip in," McGee said, holding up the miniscule electronic device, "and then it will be all done." He walked over to Tony and held his hand out expectantly for his laptop. Tony reached under his desk and pulled out his laptop. Just as he was handing it to Tim, he saw Kate walking back from the bathrooms.

She brushed passed Commander Coleman and stood in the middle of the bullpen, aware that everyone's eyes were on her. Tony looked Kate's body up and down and was impressed at how good she looked in uniform, but he resisted the urge to make a comment. He knew that it would be inappropriate, not that it had ever stopped him before, but he knew that by making a comment about how attractive she looked, he would only make her more anxious.

There weren't many people who could make a marine uniform look good, yet Kate looked, well, gorgeous. She had tied her hair back into a neat bun and the white uniform drew attention to her womanly curves.

"Not bad, Agent Todd," the Commander said approvingly. "Petty Officer Kate Frasier looks like a real marine, Gibbs." Gibbs looked her up and down.

"Pull your shoulders back. If you're going to be a naval officer, then you need to stand like one," Gibbs said harshly. Kate adjusted her posture. "Now salute."

"Gibbs," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

"You will need to salute ever superior officer. You need to do it properly." Kate rolled her eyes at Gibbs before raising her right arm to salute him. "Good." Kate walked over to her desk and sat down.

"I'll meet you at Norfolk," the Commander said to Kate. She nodded at Gibbs and then walked out of the bullpen.

McGee stood up and handed Tony back his laptop. "It's all done. Just click on the link on the desktop and you'll be able to see everything that's going on."

"Thanks, Probie," Tony said graciously. He looked over at Kate to see her searching hopelessly for something in her handbag. "Whatchya lookin' for, Kate?"

"Nothing, doesn't matter. I must have left it at home."

"Did you want to stop at your place and pick it up on our way through to Norfolk?" Tony asked as Kate continued to rummage through her handbag.

"Found it!" Kate exclaimed triumphantly. She held her hand up to reveal what she had been looking for.

"A CD?" McGee asked, puzzled. Gibbs looked up to see Kate holding a CD in her hand.

"Yeah, it's got some stuff that I might need." She looked directly at Tony, and instantly, he knew what was on it; it was the CD that he had given her at her apartment the day before.

"Are you ready, Kate?" Gibbs asked, as she put the CD back into her handbag. Kate looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Are you armed?"

"Yes." Tony raised his eyebrows, wondering where her sig was hidden Gibbs leant over his desk and opened his top drawer.

"Rule 9," he stated simply. Kate, Tony and McGee each gave him puzzled looks; their faces revealing the trouble that they were having trying to think back to Gibbs' famous list of rules.

"Never go anywhere without a knife," Tony stated, before anyone else. Gibbs pulled out a knife from his draw and held it out for Kate. She walked over to him and accepted it hesitantly. She turned it over in her hands, checking out its shape and form.

"It's styled so that it can go underneath the belt," Gibbs said. He moved over to Kate and turned her around. "It slips into the belt buckles like this," he continued, as he tucked the knife in, "can you access it from there?"

Kate reached behind her back and felt for the handle of the knife. In one quick movement, she turned around and had the knife pointed at Gibbs. "I take that as a yes," he said, stepping back. Kate smiled wickedly at him before putting the knife back to where Gibbs has positioned it only moments before.

"Where did you learn to use a knife like that, Kate?" McGee asked. He'd watched Kate pull the knife on Gibbs with an open mouth.

"Ignorance is bliss, Probie!" Kate replied, in her usual teasing manner.

"Alright, you two," Gibbs said, pointing towards Kate and Tony, "get going." The two agents nodded and began collecting their things.

As they made their way to the elevator, Gibbs' voice stopped them. "Don't be complacent." Kate and Tony looked at each other before turning around to face their boss, who had walked up behind them. "Just because the other two murders happened on the second Thursday after they had started, doesn't mean that he will follow that same pattern. Kate, just be alert, ok?" Kate nodded solemnly and continued walking to the elevators with Tony.

Kate and Tony drove the entire way to Norfolk in a comfortable silence. Tony concentrated on navigating the early morning, peak hour traffic, whilst Kate sat back in her seat and tried to calm her nerves. Kate's phone began ringing just as they pulled into the carpark. "Kate," she said into it, knowing that she'd have to drop the 'agent' and 'Todd' parts whilst she was undercover.

"Are you there yet?"

"We've just pulled into the carpark now, Gibbs," she replied.

"Commander Coleman should be meeting you out there."

"I can see her from here."

"Well, good luck," Gibbs said in a soft tone.

"Thanks, Gibbs. I'll see you back at NCIS tonight." With that, she closed her phone and put it in her handbag.

Tony switched off the engine and looked over at Kate. Her head was resting on the back of the seat and she was staring absent-mindedly out of the window. "You're scared, aren't you, Kate?"

"No," she said, as she turned around to face him.

"If you're not scared, then what are you?"

"Petrified." Tony placed his hands on her upper arms.

"Don't be," he said sincerely. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He looked into her eyes and saw that she was in complete turmoil. He drew her into a hug and rubbed her back in soothing circles to show his support.

Eventually, she pulled out of his embrace. "Let's get this bastard, hey?" she said. "Any last words of advice?"

"Just be yourself, Kate. No-one else can." He leant in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now, get your ass into gear! You don't want to be late for your first day of work!" Kate laughed at his remark. "And smile for the cameras that Probie's hidden!"

"Tony!" Kate exclaimed, as she playfully punched in the arm. Tony winked and flashed her one of his mega-watt smiles.

"I'll meet you here at five, and not a minute later."

* * *

Ok, that's all I've written so far. I don't really know whether this is worth continuing anymore... I'm not sure it's worth it. Let me know if you want to read more... I might be able too dig deep and write at least another chapter! 


	15. Chapter 15

**Expect the Unexpected**

Wow! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. All the reviews totally blew me away. They made me want to write more!

Thanks to Annie, Loz and Mel- your support and ideas are much appreciated.

Here is chapter 15. Enjoy! And please review!

* * *

**Part 15**

Kate stepped out of the car and began walking across the carpark to where Commander Coleman was standing. As she reached the Commander, she stopped and saluted. The Commander nodded in acknowledgment. "Petty Officer Frasier," she said.

"Commander," Kate said.

"How was the drive here?"

"Uneventful," mused Kate, smiling gently at the Commander. Together they made their way along the path and through to the offices. The Commander led her into a large office area that was home to several desks, over half of which were still unoccupied.

"Come into my office," Coleman said, as she led Kate past the handful of Petty Officers who were already working diligently. Kate recognised the four officers that were already there from the interrogations that she had witnessed on Saturday morning. Petty Officers Ryan, England, Kennedy and Robertson were already sitting at their desks, typing away on their computers. She followed the Commander into her office and shut the door behind her. Kate sat in the chair opposite Faith and watched as she typed her password into her computer. "This is what Agent McGee has set up," the Commander said, motioning for Kate to join her on the other side of the desk so that she could see the screen.

Kate studied the screen in detail; Tim had done a pretty good job installing the cameras. The monitor was split into six sections, one for each camera. He had positionedtwo in the main office area, one in the long corridor outside the office, and another at the entrance to the building. The final two cameras depicted darker images- one was of the corridor outside the isolated room and finally, a hidden camera had been placed in the room where the two Petty Officer's had been found. Without saying a word, Kate moved back to her chair and sat down slowly.

"Where are the blind spots?" Kate asked quietly. Faith looked up at Kate in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"What parts of this place can't you see?"

Faith leant forward in her chair and spoke softly. "We can follow your movements from the moment that you arrive on base."

"That's not what I asked, Commander," Kate said in a Gibbs-like manner.

"Roughly two hundred metres or so from here to that corridor outside the room."

"And where is Agent DiNozzo situated here on base?"

"He's not far," Coleman replied.

"How far is 'not far'?" Kate said with a slight edge.

"He's in a vacant office directly above this one." Kate sat back in the chair and sighed.

"You can't move him any closer?" Kate didn't like the fact that Tony was a whole flight of stairs up from her; if something were to happen, then he had both stairs and people to navigate his way through.

"I'm sorry, Agent Todd, ah, Petty Officer Frasier, there is no other vacant office within the vicinity." Kate sighed and looked at Faith. Coleman's face was both understanding and apologetic, offering Kate a small, but oddly comforting smile.

"Ok, so what work will I be doing whilst I'm here?" Kate pushed on; she didn't want to dwell on the dangerousness of the situation and so she was trying to deflect the conversation.

"I'll have you doing just general clerical work, typing out reports, filing, and the odd bit of paperwork, ok?"

"Sure," Kate smiled genuinely, "anything to pass the time, hey?"

"Something like that," the Commander replied. She looked over at the computer monitor that was still displaying the live feed from the six cameras. "Looks like most of them are here now. Are you ready to meet them?" Kate nodded slowly. She rose from her chair and smoothed over her uniform.

"Just remember, it's Kate Frasier, not Todd," Kate said. She emphasized her surname so that the Commander would not forget her undercover name.

"Of course." The Commander opened the door to her office and walked out into the main area. There were twelve Petty Officers already hard at work. Two of them had yet to arrive. Kate followed closely behind and observed the office area where she would be working for, well, however long it took to solve the case. She noted that there were three empty desks- two were for the Petty Officers that had yet to arrive and one, she supposed, was for herself.

The Commander gained everyone's attention and introduced Kate. She dutifully shook their hands and smiled warmly at each of them. To those that knew her well, however, it was obvious that she flinched when she shook hands with each of the four male suspects.

"This will be your desk here," Faith said, as she pointed to an empty desk. Kate sat down at the chair and ran her hands along the smooth wood.

"Thanks," she said, "I'll get to work straight away." The Commander nodded and retreated to her office. Kate took this as her opportunity to quickly familiarise herself with her surroundings. Her desk was facing away from the entrance, which Kate didn't really like. She wasn't able to see anyone entering or exiting; she would have to rely solely on her hearing. The one advantage that she had was that the desks of the four male suspects were all within her sight range. She only had to lift her eye line and she would be able to see them. It was a small comfort, but it was comfort enough.

She remembered that she needed to know which of the four Petty Officers were left-handed. Kate let her eyes scan the room and rest on each of the suspects. First, her eyes settled on Petty Officer Benson, the smallest of the four. He was typing away slowly at his computer, so Kate averted her attention to Petty Officer Robertson. Like Benson, he was also typing at his computer. She sighed inwardly before shifting her gaze to Petty Officer Santiago. She was surprised to see him writing. She groaned silently, however, when she noticed that he was writing with his right hand. Her attention then shifted to their last suspect: Petty Officer Jackson. He was hunched over his desk writing, but because he sat directly in front of her, Kate struggled to see which hand he was using. She focused on the muscles in his back and shoulder to determine which hand he was writing with. Kate sighed. Like Santiago, Jackson was right-handed.

Kate sat back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment to re-group her thoughts. It was when she opened them that she noticed the empty box underneath her desk. She leant down and pulled it out. Quietly, she placed it on her desk, unsure of it purpose. She let her eyes wander nonchalantly around her desk until they settled on a photo that was perched next to the computer monitor. In the shiny silver frame was a photo of Marie Silverman and Robert Ellis on what looked to be their wedding day. On the other side of the monitor, there was a similar frame with a photo of a baby in it.

Kate closed her eyes againmomentarily. She paused to remember Sophia, the defenceless child who had lost her mother in a callous act of violence, and Robert, a good man who had lost his wife. Kate let her fingers run lightly around the edges of the frames, before slowly picking them up and placing them in the box. She opened the top drawer to the desk and found it to be full of stationery. Closing it quietly, she looked around the room discretely to see what the other Petty Officer's were doing. They all continued to work silently at their desks.

Kate slowly opened the second draw and let her hand linger on the handle for a brief moment before picking up a small black address book and, without reading it, placing it in the box alongside the photos. She looked back inside the draw and pulled out a few odd items such as a lipstick, a candy bar, a magazine and a hairbrush. She pushed her hand further back in the drawer and ran it along the base to feel for anything else that might be in there. She was about to retract her hand when she came across what she thought was a piece of cardboard. Her fingers curled around the small piece of card and pulled it out.

Kate recognised what it was from the moment that she had it in front of her. It was a business card.She studied the information that it contained: Dr Melissa Knowles. Psychiatrist. Kate's eyes almost popped out of her head. She flipped the card over and read the back of it. Written neatly in a blue pen was: Wednesday, 3pm.

She recovered from her initial shock and re-read the card. The only other information that it contained was a phone number. Kate wondered if the appointment was for Marie or Amanda, the last two people who had used this desk. She quickly put the card into her pocket and closed the drawer.

Kate looked down at the box and sighed. She didn't like doing what she had just done. It wasn't her place. Marie's husband or close friend should have emptied her desk, but it wasn't as if she had been left with much of a choice. She turned on the computer on her desk and waited for it to load. As it was doing so, Kate thought about the business card that was now resting in her pocket. Her instinct was telling her that it was related to the case, but she just wasn't sure how. Tony or Gibbs would have to find out for her.

She resisted the urge to pick up the phone and call them to tell them what she had found, but with the other Petty Officer's working in such close proximity, decided that it would not be a good idea. Email would have to suffice.

As the computer started up, Kate's gaze shifted from the bright computer screen to the two men whose writing hands she had yet to establish. She smiled to herself when she noticed that Benson and Robertson were no longer typing away at their computers. They were writing. Her smile faded quickly, however, when she realised that they were both writing with their right hands.

She froze. A thousand thoughts flooded through her mind.

They were wrong. Ducky's theory that the killer had been left-handed had to be wrong. Gibbs' idea that the killer had wanted that particular position working under Commander Coleman was wrong. She had no idea why they had been so adamant that it was one of the four men in the room. Kate shuddered to think that if they had have been right about that, she would have been sitting in the same room as a rapist… possibly her rapist.

She quickly opened her designated email account and began to type:

_Robertson, Santiago, Benson and Jackson are all right handed._

_Found a business card in Silverman's desk draw for an appointment with Dr Melissa Knowles, a psychiatrist, for this Wednesday at 3pm. Phone number: 555-721. Was the appointment for Silverman? Why?_

_Kate._

She typed in Tony's, McGee's, and Gibbs' email addresses and clicked on 'send'. All she had to do now was wait for a response whilst completing some of the work that she had been delegated.

* * *

Well, that's it for chapter 15. I hope you are all still enjoying the fic. Please review! 


	16. Chapter 16

**Expect The Unexpected**

Wow! Thanks to everyone who took the time to review! They gave me the inspiration to keep going on this next chapter. It's only short, but hopefully you like it.

Thanks again to Annie for her wonderful editing, and thanks to Loz and Mel for their ongoing support.

I hope you are all still enjoying this fic!

* * *

**Part 16**

Gibbs turned his attention to his computer when it beeped, indicating that he had received an email. He opened up his inbox and wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion when he saw who had sent it: Kate Frasier. What was Kate emailing him about already? She'd only been there thirty-five minutes. He was hoping that she'd made some astute observations. He clicked on the email and it opened in a new window. Gibbs squinted so that his eyes could focus on the small writing on the screen.

"Dammit!" he hissed, as he read the first line. He didn't even get a chance to process the rest of the email. He grabbed the cup of coffee that was resting near his mouse and stormed out of the bullpen, throwing the cupin the bin as he passed it. McGee looked startled by his boss' speedy exit. He presumed that it had to do with the email that he had just received from Kate.

Tim picked up his cell and dialled Tony. "DiNozzo," he said, as he answered it. "What do you want, Probie?"

"Did you get that email from Kate?"

"Sure did. I'm about to call and see who it was for. Gibbs there with you?"

"No. He got that email and left straight away."

"Where'd he go?"

"I have no idea, Tony. He just got up and practically ran out of the bullpen." Tony sighed. The fact that they were all right-handed had thrown Tony too. He could only imagine the thoughts that were running through Kate's head at that moment; probably the same thought that he was having. They were wrong.

An uneasy silence filtered through the phone. "Probie, I'll call you back as soon as I find out who this appointment is for. Then you and Gibbs can go there and find out why."

"Gibbs isn't here, Tony."

"He's probably down in autopsy seeing if Ducky's theory could be wrong."

"Ok, I'll try and find him. Get back to me." McGee closed his phone without giving Tony a chance to respond. He grabbed his gun from his draw and put it in his holster, before grabbing the keys to the sedan. He made his way down to autopsy to see if Gibbs was there.

"Ducky!" Gibbs' voice bellowed, as he entered the morgue. The doctor looked up, startled at the harsh tone that Gibbs had used. Gibbs strode quickly over to the medical examiner. "Duck, is there any way that you could be wrong about the killer being left-handed?" His blue eyes bore into the older man's.

"No, Jethro. I'm certain that the killer is left-handed."

"How certain?" Gibbs asked, his voice rough and full of anger.

"One hundred percent," Ducky replied calmly, refusing to be intimidated by the gruff FederalAgent in front of him. Gibbs took a step back and removed himself from Ducky's 'personal space'. He glared at his medical examiner for a minute, before turning on his heel and walking back out of autopsy as fast as he'd walked in.

The doors to autopsy opened and Gibbs stepped through. The elevator doors opened at the same time, and McGee walked out and came face-to-face with a very angry Gibbs. He stepped back into the elevator as Gibbs' joined him.

"Ah, Tony is calling the psychiatrist now to find out who made the appointment, Boss," Gibbs glared down at his junior field agent and nodded. They rode the elevator up in silence.

As the doors opened to the bullpen, Gibbs' phone began ringing. He looked at the caller id: 'DiNozzo', it read.

"Who was the appointment for?" Gibbs barked, as he opened the call.

"Marie Silverman."

"Why?"

"The receptionist wouldn't, ah, give me that information over the phone."

"Get me the address, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, as he walked over to his desk and grabbed his gun. He holstered it with one hand and looked over at McGee, who was holding up the keys to the sedan. Gibbs was silent for a moment, obviously listening to Tony relaying the address. "Good work, DiNozzo." There was another pause and then Gibbs' spoke again, this time in a more concerned, less harsh tone. "How's she doing in there?"

"She's doing alright, so far. Nothing much has happened."

"Keep on her," Gibbs said, his voice returning to its normal tone. In true Gibbs-style, he closed the call without any form of goodbye, and shoved his cell in his pocket. "Let's move, McGee," he barked, as he walked back out of the bullpen, McGee following quickly in pursuit.

* * *

Kate sat at her desk at the base in Norfolk, entering data into the computer. After only five minutes, Kate knew why she had chosen law enforcement over practicing law as a career. She was already bored of the repetitive work that she was doing. Although there was paperwork involved in her work with NCIS, her job on a day-to-day basis was unpredictable and challenging. Entering data into a computer was like watching paint dry. Give her one of Ducky's stories any day.

She refreshed her inbox, eagerly awaiting a reply from someone. She didn't care who replied, just as long as one of them did; she wanted to be kept in the loop. She _needed_ to be kept in the loop. She double clicked on the unread email from Tony. She wasn't surprised that he had been the one to reply.

_Kate,_

_The appointment was for Marie Silverman. Gibbs and Probie are on their way to find out why. Not sure what to do about the whole right-handed thing. Perhaps one of them is ambidextrous?_

_Look after yourself in there._

_Tony._

Instinctively, Kate scanned the room again, letting her eyes rest momentarily on each of the four suspects. She sat back, deflated in her chair, when she saw that they were all writing with their right hands.

* * *

Well, that's all I've got for you today. I'm sorry it's so short, I just didn't know where else to take it. Please review and tell me what you thought! I could definitely use some more inspiration! 


	17. Chapter 17

**Expect The Unexpected**

Hopefully the length of this chapter makes up for the time it's taken me to update! I just haven't had the inspiration to keep working on this. I think I'm getting through it now though. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really appreciate the support! A special thank-you to Loz and Annie, and my apologies to Mel for all the pain I have put her through in writing this as slow as I have!

Please keep the reviews coming though. The reviews inspire me to write!

**

* * *

Part 17**

Gibbs put his foot to the gas and sped out of the NCIS parking lot. With McGee in the passenger seat, they drove toward the office of Dr. Knowles, Silverman's psychiatrist.

"Could the psychiatrist be a suspect, boss?" McGee asked once he had calmed down from Gibbs' speedy acceleration.

"In case you haven't noticed, McGee, we have two dead Petty Officer's and no evidence. Everyone is a suspect." Tim shrunk in his seat. He genuinely wanted to know if the psychiatrist could have murdered either of the two women. "Call Tony. Let him know where we are going. Tell him to keep us updated with Kate's movements."

"Sure thing, boss." With great difficulty, McGee managed to free his cell phone from his pocket and used it to speak briefly to Tony.

After several near-misses and speeding through red-lights, Gibbs' pulled up to a halt out the front of the office of Dr Knowles. He looked over at McGee and glared. "We are not leaving here until we have Silverman's file." McGee nodded in response to Gibbs' order. "And Petty Officer Stone's, if she was a patient."

They clambered out of the car and walked briskly up to the door. They opened the already-ajar door, and quietly entered into the foyer of the house-come-office. An elderly lady sitting behind a desk greeted them warmly. Gibbs' pulled out his NCIS identification and showed it to the secretary. "I'm Special Agent Gibbs. This is Special Agent McGee, NCIS. I need to speak with Dr. Knowles urgently."

The receptionist thought for a moment before responding. "She is with a patient at the moment. If you don't mind waiting, you can go in and speak with her when she is finished." Gibbs rolled his eyes but nodded.

"How long will that be, ma'am?" McGee asked politely.

The receptionist looked down at the appointment book before responding. "About twenty minutes. You may go and take a seat in the lounge room to your right if you wish." She gestured to their right, but neither two of the agents moved from their positions.

"Ma'am, can you tell me if Marie Silverman was a patient here?"

"Why do you ask?" The receptionist questioned.

"I cannot disclose that information. I need to know," Gibbs' said forcefully. He tried not to appear too intimidating, as this was only the receptionist; he would save that for the psychiatrist. That was when the hard questions would come out. She fumbled a moment before opening up a small book and turning to the 'S' section. She ran her finger lightly down the list of names and addresses.

"Yes."

"How long?"

"She's been a patient here for approximately four months." McGee looked over at his boss with a surprised expression, yet Gibbs' face remained expressionless, mentally trying to connect a timeline of the last few months of Silverman's life.

Five months ago, the Petty Officer had given birth to her first child and one month later, she began seeing a psychiatrist. Although he didn't automatically diagnose her with some form of psychological disorder, he ran through a possible list in his mind.

McGee broke the silence. "Thank you, ma'am," he said before venturing into the lounge room to wait on his lonesome. Gibbs had remained by himself in the foyer for several more minutes before he went and joined McGee who had been earnestly waiting to speak with Dr Knowles.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Norfolk, Kate continued to type the data into the computer. She'd now been working for almost two hours and her mind was beginning to wander. She'd lost interest in typing up the latest JAG court numbers. Not that she'd had any interest in the first place, but now she was ready to pull out her sig and fire directly where the cursor was blinking in the middle of the screen. She opened up her email again and began typing a quick email to Tony to see if he had any news on the psychiatrist.

_Why was Silverman seeing a psychiatrist?_

_Kate._

Tony sat alone in an office almost directly above Kate. His eyes were glued to the live feed coming through from the cameras. An email notification popped up in the right-hand corner of his monitor. He clicked on it and waited patiently for it to open. Before he'd even opened it, he knew it was from Kate. It was her only means of communication whilst she was working with the Commander. She did have a telephone on her desk, but the others in the office would overhear her side of the conversation and it would jeopardise the investigation.

He sunk slightly in his seat when he read Kate's email. It was short and to the point. She was telling them to get off their asses and do some investigating so that the case would be solved before it was solved for them.

Tony clicked 'reply' but hesitated before typing. They'd known for just over an hour that Silverman was seeing a psychiatrist, yet they were still waiting for the reason. Tony rubbed a hand over his face and began typing slowly.

_Kate,_

_Boss and Probie are still checking out the shrink. Don't worry. We've got it covered. Sit tight. _

_Tony._

_PS- great to see you enjoy typing out court data!_

He clicked 'send' and sat back in his chair. He tried to keep the tone of the email light in an attempt to put her at ease. However, he knew that his attempt at humour would probably be followed by a comment about him being childish and immature.

To his surprise, Kate's reply that he received no more than five minutes later, wasn't quite what he'd expected. It was apologetic.

_Sorry. It's just hard sitting here and not be able to do anything. Especially since all of them are here and I don't know who…_

Tony's heart sunk. It was only Day 1 and if Kate was edgey now, Tony didn't even want to imagine how she would be if she was still in there the following week, especially if the killer followed the same pattern.

_Don't apologise, Kate. Just look up at the camera Probie planted and give me a smile! Then get back to work! You don't want to be fired on your first day!_

Tony smiled this time as he clicked 'send'. He clicked on the camera feeds and stared intently at the screen to see Kate's reaction to his email. Sure enough, he saw Kate read the email quickly before giving a small smile. She then lifted her head and looked in the direction of the camera and winked.

* * *

Gibbs and McGee sat impatiently in the waiting room at the psychiatrists. They needed to know everything that Silverman talked about in her sessions with Dr. Knowles and they needed to know it now. After another ten minutes, the receptionist said that they could go in and see Dr. Knowles. The two agents were on their feet in an instant and quickly made their way through to the doctor's office.

They introduced themselves as they sat down in the chairs opposite Dr. Knowles. Gibbs wasted no time in getting down to what he wanted to know. "Dr. Knowles, I want to know everything you've discussed with Marie Silverman," he said as polite as he could.

"Surely you have heard of doctor/patient confidentiality, Agent Gibbs," replied the psychiatrist.

"I have, ma'am, but that doesn't exist when it impedes a murder investigation."

"Murder?" Dr. Knowles asked, shocked.

"Marie Silverman was found dead on Friday morning, ma'am," McGee said calmly. Gibbs' studied her expression closely. He watched as her face paled quickly and her eyes opened wide with shock.

"H-how? W-why? W-who?" She stuttered. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to control herself.

"We don't know, Doctor. We were hoping you would be able to provide us with some answers."

"Yes," she replied after she composed herself, "yes, of course."

"Firstly, why was Silverman seeing you?"

"She was suffering from post-natal depression after the birth of her first child. Her obstetrician referred her to me roughly four months ago." The two NCIS agents nodded in a manner that urged her to continue. Dr Knowles paused for a moment before she continued. "Marie was finding it hard to cope with a new baby. I prescribed her with a low dose of anti-depressants and as time progressed, she seemed to improve." Gibbs made a mental note to check with Ducky about any medication that was in her system at the time of her murder. Their original toxicology screening had come up negative, but with this new information, he needed them to re-screen her blood.

"Do you have a file where you have documented each visit?"

"Yes, I'll get Mary, my receptionist, to get that for you."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Wednesday, two weeks ago. She had just started back at work at the naval base and she spoke fondly of her daughter, something she struggled to do in previous sessions. She said she had even put a photo of her daughter on her desk at work. She didn't mention that she had just given birth to her first child until almost fifty minutes into her first session."

"How does post-natal depression affect the person?" McGee asked timidly, almost afraid to speak up with Gibbs in the room. "Or more specifically, how did it affect Marie Silverman?"

"Post-natal depression affects roughly one in eight new mothers. They tend to suffer from feelings of low self-esteem, guilt, inadequacy, unable to cope, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping or change in sleeping patterns, anxiety, and often, a loss of their sex drive." The two NCIS agents absorbed all the information the doctor has just fed them. Not one person that they had interviewed had mentioned any of these symptoms or in fact, that they had noticed any change in Marie. Nor had they found any prescription medication when they went through her house. Gibbs squinted at the psychiatrist.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about what you discussed?"

"We spent a lot of time talking about her work, her time abroad. It was always about the past, never about the present."

"Can you get us that file please, Doctor?" McGee asked politely. Dr Knowles nodded and walked out of the room to collect the file from the receptionist.

* * *

Back at Norfolk, Kate was growing increasingly agitated. She wanted to get out of her chair and run around. She glanced at her watch and noticed that it was nearing lunch time. She wondered what their 'routine' was for lunches. Norfolk had a cafeteria, so she was presuming that she would go down there to eat. She had just begun entering in more JAG court data when someone tapped her on her right shoulder. The tap caught her by surprise and she instinctively placed her hand on her hip where her sig was usually situated and spun her chair around.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "You startled me." Petty Officer MacKenzie was standing in front of her, somewhat surprised at the reaction she received from Kate.

"That's ok," MacKenzie said, smiling softly at Kate, "we were going for lunch. Did you want to join us?"

Kate hesitated a moment before responding. "Sure, that would be great." She turned back around to her computer and put it on 'stand-by'. She grabbed her purse out of her bottom drawer and left the room with Petty Officer's MacKenzie, Kennedy and Dowd.

Despite the anxiety that she was feeling, Kate enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria with the Petty Officers. She played the role of observer, giving away little information about herself. It was just easier for everyone that way. She noted also, that Tony had joined them in the cafeteria and was sitting in the far corner alone pretending to read a newspaper in front of him. She saw his surreptitious glances in her direction and was glad for the security she knew him and his sig provided.

Kate laughed internally at Tony sitting alone in the cafeteria. This had to be killing him. He'd been alone in a room all day watching her on a screen. Now he was eating alone. She guessed it was a rare occasion for him. When they were at NCIS, they either all ate together in the bullpen, or they went out for a quick bite.

So far, the day had gone without a hitch. It wasn't until Kate was walking back to the office with the other women that there was any trouble. They were about to confront someone who threatened to blow the operation wide open and expose Kate's cover.

* * *

Please review. I could really do with the feedback. Also, please review if you have any ideas of what I can do in the next part or further into it. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Expect the Unexpected**

Wow! I'm really surprised that I've managed to get another chapter out... it's all because of the reviewers, though! You all asked for another chapter, so another chapter you can have!

Thanks for the reviews… I honestly appreciate the feedback!

Thanks also to Annie, Loz and Mel for their help and inspiration!

Enjoy!

**

* * *

Part 18**

Tony was following Kate and the Petty Officers at a safe distance down the corridor when he noticed Kate tense up and falter slightly in her footing. The group slowed to a halt and together, they saluted the man in front of them. Tony stopped several metres behind them and placed one hand on his right hip where his sig was hidden. This threatened to blow their whole operation.

In front of Kate stood Lieutenant Commander Robert Ellis, the husband of the second victim. He had met Kate at headquarters on Friday when he came into speak with Gibbs and Kate had been the one who looked after his daughter.

Kate hovered slightly behind the other Petty Officers. She knew that Ellis had seen her, but she hoped he would realise immediately why she was there. She also hoped he didn't look over to where Tony stood only metres away.

Ellis gave Kate a questioning glance, but the steely look on Kate's face was enough to say 'don't say anything.' She extended her hand and introduced herself before he did. "Petty Officer Frasier," Kate said, "I'm sorry for your loss, Sir." Ellis shook her hand before stepping back. He spoke briefly to the other Petty Officers before moving on.

Tony kept his head down, and noticed the extent to which Kate relaxed once Ellis had gone. The group of Petty Officers, including Kate, sauntered back to their office. Tony hung back and once he saw that Kate was safely inside the office, he turned and ran up the stairs so that he could observe the events through the live feed.

His cell began ringing just as he sat down. "DiNozzo," he said as he answered.

"Silverman had post-natal depression. She was on a low dose of anti-depressants," Gibbs said straightaway. At the sound of Gibbs' voice, Tony sat up straight in his chair, exactly how he would if Gibbs were in the room. He didn't know what to say to that.

"What's going on down there?" Gibbs asked.

"Kate just got back from lunch. We almost ran into trouble when she met Lieutenant Ellis, but he must have realised she was undercover because he didn't say anything."

"Email her, DiNozzo, and let her know what's going on." Tony closed his phone and put it on the table. He typed out a quick email to Kate.

_Kate,_

_The appointment was for Silverman. She was diagnosed with past-natal depression. Gibbs didn't say anymore. That was a close call with Ellis. You doing ok?_

_Tony._

Tony clicked on 'send'. He adjusted the monitor and sat back in his chair, ready to spend the next three and a half hours watching Kate.

* * *

McGee and Gibbs were back working in the bullpen. Although they had this new found information about Marie Silverman, the second victim, it did not provide them with another avenue of inquiry. It also did not provide them with any connection between Marie Silverman and Amanda Stone, the first victim. Stone was not a patient with Dr. Knowles, so there wasn't anything else to check out there, either. It seemed to just provide them with more questions than answers. Silverman's husband had not mentioned the fact that his wife was seeing a psychiatrist, nor did they find any anti-depressant medication in her possession.

* * *

Kate sat back down at her desk after lunch at checked her emails. Sure enough, there was one from Tony. She sat back, defeated, once she had finished reading it. She thought for a moment about what to write back.

_Any other leads on the case? I can't just sit here. I'm doing fine. Just keep watching. _

_Kate._

She looked up at the camera in the corner and gave it a small smile before she settled down to work.

Tony sat upstairs staring at the monitor. His face lit up when he saw Kate smile at the camera.

_I don't have anymore leads. I'm on top of you… ;-)_

_Tony_

He was laughing to himself when he sent that last email. Kate was going to hit him or cause some serious bodily injury when they got back to HQ for that last comment, but he just couldn't help himself.

Downstairs in the office, Kate had to hold back her laughter when she read Tony's email. As much as she wanted to elbow him in the stomach right then and there, she had to restrain herself. Somehow, he made he feel better about the situation, so she had to at least thank him for that. She looked down at the folder in front of her. 'Guess this is what I'll be doing for the next few hours,' Kate thought dryly.

The clock ticked over, and before any of them knew it, it was five o'clock. Kate observed those around her. She shut down her computer and made her way slowly out of the building to meet Tony in the carpark.

"Hey," she said quietly as she slipped into the front passenger seat of the car.

"Hey," Tony replied, giving her a small smile. "You did good today," he offered. Kate nodded slowly.

"Let's get out of here," Kate murmured quietly. Tony put the car into gear and drove out of the base. They didn't speak again until they were on the highway, heading back to NCIS headquarters.

"Do you want to stop for dinner before we go and report to Gibbs?" Tony asked quietly, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.

"Can we report to Gibbs first so I can get out of this uniform?" Kate said in disgust, looking down at the stark white uniform on her.

Tony chuckled. "Sure thing, Todd!"

The rest of the ride back to NCIS headquarters was made in silence. Traffic on the highway was heavy, so Tony concentrated solely on that, his thoughts barely drifting from the road in front of him.

Kate's mind, however, was racing. She'd just spent the last eight hours cooped up in an office doing boring paper work, all the time in the presence of a rapist. Apart from the information about Petty Officer Silverman seeing a psychiatrist, they didn't come across any new information. It was just a waiting game now. Her eyes drifted closed and she relaxed into a light sleep.

"Kate!" Tony placed his hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "Kate! Wake up! We're back at NCIS." Tony tried to wake Kate from her slumber.

"Hmm…" she said as she opened her eyes. "What time is it?" She asked, sleepily.

"It's a little after seven. We'll have a quick chat to Gibbs and you can get changed, then we can go and grab some dinner if you still want," Tony suggested.

"Um, yeah, that sounds good."

Together, they made their way up to the bullpen where Gibbs and McGee were waiting expectantly for them.

"What have you got?" Gibbs asked the moment they entered the bullpen. McGee looked up from his desk and listened intently.

Kate stood by her desk and looked at Gibbs dejectedly. "A killer headache."

"On the case, Kate," Gibbs said, ignoring her deflated look.

"Nothing, Gibbs, ok? I've got nothing." She picked up her clothes from her desk and stormed out of the bullpen to get changed.

"Don't be so hard on her, Gibbs," Tony said when she was out of earshot. "It can't be easy sitting in a room with your potential rapist all day."

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked. "Did you get anything?"

"Not a thing, boss, not one Petty Officer made a pass at her or anything." His green eyes bore into Gibbs' blue ones. "What about the psychiatrist?"

"Prescribed a low dose of anti-depressants but they didn't show up in her blood."

"Husband?"

"Didn't know his wife was seeing a psychiatrist," Gibbs finished.

"There are more questions than answers in this case, boss," Tony stated.

Gibbs ran a hand through his silvery hair. "Tell me something I don't know." Gibbs walked briskly out of the bullpen and made his way up the stairs that lead to MTAC. "I'll see you and Kate at Norfolk tomorrow." McGee packed up his things and wearily walked out of the bullpen to go home for the night.

Tony sat down at his desk and checked his voicemail. He had three messages from his 'flavour of the week,' but Tony had no desire to call her back. He sat there, shuffling papers on his desk until Kate returned wearing her normal attire.

"Where's Gibbs?" she asked when she noticed that he wasn't in the bullpen.

"MTAC," Tony replied. "You still want to grab some dinner?"

"Sure," Kate said, smiling at him. She turned around to collect her things and noted that there were three more Navy uniforms hanging on the back of her cubicle. She froze when she saw them. Tony came up behind her and took them off the side.

"Come on," he all but whispered in her ear. "Let's get out of here." He flashed her one of his trademark grins and led her gently out of the bullpen, one hand resting lightly on the small of her back, the other holding on to her spare Navy uniforms.

* * *

Phew! Another chapter done! I hoped you enjoyed it! Please review! I'm not sure where I'm going to take the next chapter… any ideas? 


	19. Chapter 19

**Expect The Unexpected**

Thanks to Annie, Loz and Mel who have helped so much with this chapter. A HUGE thank you of course, goes to every single person who has taken the time to review. Without you, this chapter would not have been written!

It's another short chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same…

**

* * *

Part 19 **

The first week undercover passed slowly for them all. McGee, Gibbs and DiNozzo spent the week in the office on the second floor at Norfolk, keeping a close eye on the workings of the office below them.

Kate and Tony drove to and from Norfolk together everyday whilst Gibbs was already there when they arrived and McGee arrived later in the day and was there when they left. Tensions were running high between the men in the room upstairs, but the tension always dissipated whenever Kate was present. She was tense enough as it was, without the added worry of tension within the team.

Kate was a lot quieter and more reserved than normal, but she was focused. She was focused on her job and protecting herself. She and Tony got themselves into a routine every morning, too. He would pick her up just after 0630 and they would get breakfast together before beginning the drive to Norfolk. They chatted amicably about their lives, laughing and joking about, but the closer they got to Norfolk, the quieter Kate became. When he sensed that Kate was no longer really paying attention, Tony stopped talking and let her focus on the day ahead.

"Whatchya doing this weekend, Kate?" Tony asked on Friday evening on the way back from Norfolk. Kate shrugged her shoulders at him in response. "Come on, Kate, you've got to have something planned!"

"I don't, ok, Tony?"

"You want to see a movie or something?" Tony asked. He'd taken a risk by saying that, but he knew Kate didn't want to be alone. It wasn't that he felt sorry for her; it was just that he felt a strong urge to have her back and watch out for her until this whole case was over.

"Um, sure," Kate responded, shocked. Tony nodded at her, surprised that she'd even agreed. He navigated the streets of DC and pulled up out the front of Kate's apartment complex. "Did you want to grab some dinner now or something?" Kate suggested as the car slowed to a halt.

"Pizza?" Tony said, flashing a killer smile.

"You go pick it up and bring it back here and you can have pizza," Kate replied, chuckling at how quickly Tony had jumped at the thought of eating pizza.

"Sounds good, Todd. I won't be long!" Kate jumped out of the car and watched as Tony sped off down the street.

* * *

They sat together at Kate's kitchen table chatting idly, much like they had been doing in the car everyday. The conversation stayed as far away from work as possible, neither two wanting to bring up such a heavy issue. As they moved from the kitchen to the couch in the living room with ease, Kate realised how safe and protected she felt in Tony's presence. 

"Whatchya thinkin' bout, Kate?" Tony asked when he noticed her slip into her own world. She looked startled and slightly embarrassed upon being caught out, but she covered it as best she could.

"Oh! Nothing!" she exclaimed. Tony raised his eyebrows at her, a disbelieving look on his face. "I'm serious, Tony!" Kate joked.

"Kate, you were a million miles away!"

"I was just thinking…" Kate began, before trailing off.

"Bout what?" Tony asked, his face becoming serious.

Kate took a deep breath, "just things."

"What sort of things?"

"Just… things," Kate replied quietly. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tony knew what she was thinking about. They'd both tried so hard to avoid the topic, but the case was right in the forefront of their minds and they couldn't escape it.

"I know, Kate," Tony whispered.

"I just…" Kate said tentatively, "I don't have a very good feeling about it. I feel like we've missed something major." Tony sighed. If he wanted to be brutally honest, he didn't have a good feeling about it either, but he couldn't let Kate know. It was his job to reassure her, so that's what he did.

"Kate, you don't have to worry. We haven't missed anything." He gave her a reassuring smile but was mentally kicking himself from lying to her. If they haven't missed anything, then why hadn't they caught the killer by now? Kate sighed.

"I don't feel prepared enough."

"You're doing fine so far," Tony said, "you've been in there a week."

"That's not what I meant, Tony," Kate said, "what if he does attack me and I can't fight back?"

"He won't attack you, but if he does, you know that we're only seconds away. You'll fight, Kate, you'll fight."

"How?" The word escaped her lips before she even had the chance to think about it. "How will I fight him?" The anguish on her face was too much for Tony to bear. He reached out a hand and placed it precariously on her thigh.

Giving her thigh a tight squeeze, he spoke softly. "You will, Kate. You just will."

* * *

Please review… I appreciate the feedback and would love to hear if you have any ideas as to where I can take it! 


	20. Chapter 20

**Expect the Unexpected**

Here is another chapter for this fic. Thank you to all the people who have taken the time to review the previous chapters. I really appreciate it. Thanks also to Annie, Loz and Mel for their continual hounding and inspiration!

The "day" has arrived…

**

* * *

Part 20**

Kate and Tony spent a lot of time together over the weekend. He vowed to protect until the case was over, and he took that promise seriously, surprising not only Kate, but himself as well.

"I'm watching your six," Tony said to Kate on Sunday when they went for a run. Kate was running at a slightly faster pace than Tony. She turned around and kept running backwards.

"I'm sure you are, DiNozzo!" Kate replied, winking at him. She turned back around and continued running along the path to the park.

After their conversation on Friday night, their usual bantering nature had returned, setting them both at ease. They continued running along the path and eventually, breathing heavily, found their way back at Kate's house. Kate collapsed on the couch and Tony stretched out on the floor in front of her.

"I'm beat!" Kate exclaimed, trying to regain control of her breathing.

"And we haven't even…" Tony began before being cut off by Kate throwing a cushion at his head.

"Don't finish that sentence, DiNozzo!" Tony looked up at Kate with a broad grin on his face. Kate grinned back at him before looking up at the ceiling to collect her thoughts.

Tony could see Kate visibly control herself and struggle to keep a hold of her emotions, which obviously were threatening to spill over and consume her. It proved all too hard for Kate, however and she beganto sobuncontrollably. Her first week undercover had taken its toll and she had succumbed to the pressure. Tony immediately jumped up from his position on the floor and scrambled over to where Kate was lying on the couch. He took a hold of her hands and held them tightly in his.

A still-sobbing Kate sat up and made room for Tony on the couch. "Kate, don't do this to yourself, please," Tony pleaded. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body closer to his. He felt Kate's grip on him tighten as she buried her face in his shoulder and let the tears fall. "Shh, Kate," he whispered, "shh, it's going to be ok." He sat there holding her until he could feel her relax. Tentatively, he pulled away from her and looked at her tear-stained face. Sub-consciously, he reached out and brushed the tear marks away with his thumb.

"Oh, god," she said, "I'm sorry, Tony."

"Don't be," he stated firmly, his hand still resting on her cheek. "You've had a tough week." Slowly, he withdrew his hand from her cheek and placed it lightly on her thigh. "I said I'm going to protect you and I will."

"But…"

"Didn't we have this conversation last weekend?" Tony interrupted, a small smile playing on his face. Kate nodded slowly. Tony was right, they had had this conversation before, but no matter how many times he had tried to reassure her, the doubt was still there. "Right," he said, "let's get something to eat." He sprang up from the couch and moved towards the kitchen, all tension that was previously consuming them evaporated.

"I'm going to take a shower then, whilst you fix up dinner!" Kate called from the couch, smiling broadly. Tony appeared into the doorway to the kitchen and raised his eyebrows.

"Says who?" He quipped.

"Me!" Kate said, jumping up from the couch, seemingly a different person to the woman who was sobbing uncontrollably on the couch only minutes ago. She walked past Tony and sauntered happily into her bedroom and through to her en suite. Tony shook his head dismally and went back into the kitchen in search of something to cook for dinner.

* * *

"McGee, system check," Gibbs ordered.

"All cameras and microphones are operational, Boss."

"What about the communication system, Probie?" Tony added.

"All microphones and earpieces are working."

It was 0600 on Thursday morning and tensions were running at an all-time high. If the killer continued his 'pattern', then today was _the day_. It was the second Thursday that Kate had been undercover and they hadn't made any head-way. There were still at a total loss as to who the killer was, and the stress was showing. None of them had any sleep that night, and they had all been at NCIS headquarters since 0530 making sure that everything was right and that they had a system in place for making sure Kate was protected at all times of the day.

They didn't mention the 'worst case scenario'. They knew what it was, and it was too confronting for any of them to even begin comprehending.

Kate had been considerably quiet the whole time, speaking only when a question was directed at her. She sat at her desk in the bullpen in her Petty Officer uniform, twirling a pen around anxiously in her fingers.

Tony sat opposite her at his desk with four files in front of him. He kept reading the service records of the four male suspects over and over, hoping that something would jump off the page and they could make an arrest without having Kate parading around in front of them, masquerading as a Petty Officer for another day.

Kate looked around the dimly lit bullpen and shuddered when her eyes focused on the large plasma by Tony's desk which had the six live camera feeds displayed on it. She was drawn to the one in the bottom right-hand corner; the empty office space where the last two women had been found raped and murdered. "Kate!" Tony called across the bullpen. "Kate!" He said it a little bit louder when she didn't answer him.

Upon hearing her name, Kate snapped back to reality slightly disorientated. "Oh, right, yeah, where were we?" she asked. Tony and Gibbs exchanged a worried look.

"We wanted to know if you were ok with not wearing a microphone. An earpiece will be out of the question because it will be visible," Tony said, "but it's up to you. If you want one, you can have one." Kate looked at Tony and then back to Gibbs.

"I can live without an earpiece," she said. She tried to sound convincing, but her voice wavered slightly and she wasn't sure if the three men in the room bought it. She would have preferred to have an earpiece; it would be a small piece of comfort, but Tony was right.

"What about a microphone?" Kate shook her head at that suggestion. Her only protection was the knife in her belt and her sig hidden away on her inside thigh.

"If you're sure," Tony said, giving her the option to change her mind.

"I'm sure, Tony," Kate replied, this time her voice staying firm.

Gibbs stood up from his desk and clipped his sig to his hip. "Let's move, McGee." McGee scrambled around his desk and collected his things before running out of the bullpen behind Gibbs.

Kate and Tony were left alone in the bullpen. Wordlessly, Kate stood up from behind her desk and walked slowly over to the plasma screen. Her eyes focussed again on the empty room and her heartbeat quickened. Tony's eyes were firmly fixed on Kate.

He rose up out of his chair and moved to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "You won't see that room in person. I promise." He slipped his hands down her arms and let them slide across her waist, drawing her body into his. Sighing, Kate leant into his embrace and placed her hands on top of his.

"I guess it's time to face the music, huh?" Kate said softly. Tony moved his hand so that he could see his watch.

"Yeah, Kate, it is," he replied solemnly.

* * *

Thanks for reading…. Please review. I really love getting feedback (good and bad) because it inspires me to write more! 


	21. Chapter 21

**Expect The Unexpected**

There are now only moments until the identity of the killer is revealed...

Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up- it has taken me ages to perfect it, and hopefully you will think that it was worth the wait. Thanks also to Loz, Annie and Mel for their constant hounding to get this chapter done!

**

* * *

Chapter 21**

"Petty Officer Frasier, may I see you in my office for a moment?" Commander Coleman called from the doorway. Sighing, Kate stood up and walked towards Faith. She entered the office and closed the door behind her.

"How are you feeling, Kate?" Faith asked as she sat down, gesturing for Kate to do the same.

Kate exhaled. "I'm fine," she replied. "A little edgey, but I'm fine. I just wanna catch the bastard." Faith nodded her head in agreement.

"Are you sure he'll strike today?"

"It fits the pattern," Kate said tentatively. "But two killings aren't a pattern. Three…"

"Kate," the Commander said in a warning voice when Kate trailed off and failed to finish her sentence. "It's not going to be three."

Kate shrugged her shoulders in response. "I'll just be glad when this case is over. My life can finally get back to normal."

"Not long now then," Faith pointed out. It was already half-past-four and Kate finished at five.

"Half an hour," Kate said. At that sudden realisation, Kate's heart began pounding in her chest and her palms became all clammy.

"I've just spoken with Gibbs," Faith said. Kate raised her eyebrows and urged her to continue. "He said that everything is under control."

"It better be," Kate mumbled under her breath. Commander Coleman opened her desk drawer and pulled out two earpieces. She put on in her own ear and handed the other to Kate.

"Here is an earpiece if you want one." Kate shook her head again.

"I've gotten this far without one, Commander," Kate said.

"Are you sure?" Faith asked, concern more than evident in her voice.

"I'm sure." Faith nodded her head in acceptance but was saved from saying anything by a knock at the door.

"Enter!" Faith called from her seat.

The door swung open and Petty Officer Alana Smith appeared in the doorway. "Ma'am, Lieutenant Commander Ellis is here to see you."

Faith looked at Kate, who merely nodded her head. "Show him in, Petty Officer."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

"I'll leave you to it," Kate said rising from her chair.

"No, you can stay, it's fine." Lieutenant Ellis entered the room with baby Sophia in his arms and sat down in the chair next to Kate.

"Lieutenant," Kate said in acknowledgment.

"Special Agent Todd," he replied. "Commander," he added, acknowledging the woman in front of him. He cradled his daughter close to his body, rocking her gently.

"What can I do for you, Robert?" Faith said.

"I came to collect Maria's things." Kate sat back in her chair. She had been the one who had gone through the desk to clean it out. She had never had to undertake such a task before and it had more than unsettled her.

"I hope you don't mind, sir," Kate began, "I put all of your wife's things in a box. It's under my desk out there."

"I don't mind," he said, "that's fine. Are you here trying to find my wife's killer?"

"Yes, sir." Although she had seen Lieutenant Ellis on her first day undercover, he had been on compassionate leave and had not been around the base. This was the first time she had the chance to talk to him.

"How is the investigation going?"

Kate and Faith exchanged a conspiratorial look. "It's going well, sir," Kate replied convincingly.

"How are you coping?" Faith asked.

Robert looked down at his daughter before looking at the Commander. "I'm getting there," he said.

* * *

Upstairs, Tony, Gibbs and McGee could hear everything. Along with the earpiece, Commander Coleman also had a microphone on her body. It was transmitting the sounds very clearly.

"She's edgey, boss," Tony pointed out.

"Tell me something I don't know, DiNozzo," Gibbs retorted harshly. "We've got twenty minutes."

All three men looked at their watches and sighed in frustration.

"Twenty minutes," Tony reiterated. Gibbs ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Something's not right, Boss," Tony stated, shaking his head. "I have this feeling in my… gut."

Gibbs stared at the computer monitor transmitting the live feeds. "Santiago is leaving," Gibbs said. "McGee, follow him. If he leaves base, let me know, but we need you here."

"On it, boss." McGee checked his weapon before making a hasty exit. A few moments later, Gibbs and Tony saw McGee walking down the corridor behind Santiago.

"It's not Santiago, boss," Tony said. "He hardly even looked at Kate."

"You can never be too careful."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Commander Coleman's office, they were chatting civilly amongst themselves. "How is everything going with Sophia?" Kate asked.

"It's not easy. She misses her mother,"

"That's understandable," Faith said.

"Do you have someone who is helping you out at home?"

"My parents have come to stay with me," he said forlornly. Ever since that day in the bullpen two weeks ago when Kate had first met Lieutenant Ellis, she was surprised by his strength of character. He had managed to pull himself together for the sake of his little girl. "I should be going," Ellis said as he stood up. "Commander," he said, "Special Agent Todd."

"I'll help you carry her things out to the car if you'd like," Kate suggested.

"Thank you, I would really appreciate it."

Kate stood up and walked out to the officer area with Ellis. She moved to her desk and picked up the box before walking out of the office with him.

"She's an angel," Kate said, gesturing to the little girl in his arms.

"Yes, she is," Ellis said as she smiled at Kate.

* * *

"Boss, Santiago has left the base," McGee said into his microphone.

"Then get your ass back up here, McGee. Kate has gone down to the carpark with Commander Ellis, but will be back shortly."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Something isn't right," Tony said again.

"I don't wanna hear it, DiNozzo," Gibbs all but shouted in his face. Tony flinched at the hard edge in his boss' voice. "We are gonna get this dirtbag before he gets Kate."

"Boss…" Tony began.

"Shut it, DiNozzo."

* * *

Ellis handed Kate the keys to his small family sedan and she unlocked it for him. He placed Sophia in the baby seat in the back and wound down the window a little bit. Kate opened up the trunk of the car and placed the box in it before closing it firmly.

"I am taking indefinite leave," Ellis said as Kate moved around the side of the car to stand next to him. She was shocked, to say the least. "I feel I need to spend as much time as I can with Sophia." Kate nodded understandingly. "I need to grab a few things from my office. Would you be able to give me a hand?"

Without even thinking, Kate agreed and walked alongside him into the building. They headed up the stairs and walked along a quiet corridor on the third floor. "My office is just through here."

* * *

That's all I have for now. Please review and let me know what you thought of that chapter: getting that ending right has been a hard task! 


	22. Chapter 22

**Expect The Unexpected**

First of all, I'd like to say how much I appreciated getting all of your reviews. They totally blew me away! The fact that I'm updating after two weeks just goes to show how much you have all inspired me to write more!

Secondly, thanks for sticking with me this whole time… I started this fic a long time ago (and there is still a long way to go yet!) and I can't believe how many people are still reading it. Thank you all so much.

And finally, thank you to Annie, Loz and Mel.

Now, on with the show… I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"The other three are still there," Tony said, pointing to the monitor. "Robertson is there on the left, Jackson and Benson are the two sitting in the corner." Gibbs sat back in the chair and put his hands behind his head. Time was ticking down and technically, it wasn't long until the killer struck again.

"When Kate gets back, I want you to tail her every move. McGee and I will take the remaining two Petty Officers. We don't worry about the one that leaves first," Gibbs said to Tony. Tony looked down at his watch in anticipation and his heart skipped a beat when he realised just how close they were.

"Ten minutes til 1700, boss."

"I know that, DiNozzo. We wait for Kate to get back until we move." At that moment, McGee returned to the office and Gibbs looked at him, expecting a brief report.

"Ah, Petty Officer Santiago left base and headed north."

"Did he stop to talk to anyone, Probie?" Tony asked.

"No," McGee replied. "He saluted several senior officers before leaving though." Gibbs nodded and McGee relaxed slightly. "So it's just a waiting game now, right?"

Both Gibbs and Tony looked at McGee incredulously. It was a truthful comment, so they couldn't hold that against him, but McGee had just voiced what neither of them could admit: it was now just a waiting game. Gibbs tilted his head to the left and Tony, standing behind him, tilted his head to the right.

* * *

"This is Marie and I when we got married," Ellis said to Kate as he held up a photo of his wedding day. Kate immediately recognised the photo in front of her. It was the same photo that Marie had on her desk.

"She was beautiful," Kate said thoughtfully. She stood in the middle of the otherwise deserted office and watched as Robert Ellis methodically went through his drawers, putting his personal possessions into a cardboard box, much like the one Kate had used for Marie's things.

"Yeah," he agreed out loud. "She thought so, too," he mumbled to himself.

"Sorry?" Kate said, not hearing his last sentence.

"Oh, never mind," he said, dismissing her. Kate looked around the room and absorbed her surroundings. It was a large office, a couch on one wall and a bookshelf on the other. The bookshelf was adorned with reference books, mainly ones on law and military protocol. In front of many of the books, Kate noted, were several photos of the Commander, Marie and baby Sophia.

Curiously, Kate walked over to the shelves and looked at each of the photos, soaking up as much as she could. Some of the photos were recent, with Marie either pregnant or Sophia was in them. Other photos were not as recent, such as another one of their wedding day.

Kate decided to take a risk and ask Ellis about his wife's illness, her post-natal depression. "How did you cope when you found out Marie was sick?" Kate turned around slowly to face the man who had had his world shattered by a callous act of violence. She was shocked to find hatred and anger in his eyes.

"It changed everything." His voice was hard and cold and his words resonated off the walls in his office, sending a chill up Kate's spine.

* * *

Upstairs, Tony was staring intensely at the monitor, not wanting to miss one movement of anyone in the room. He felt like time was grinding to a halt and that he was powerless to make it keep on moving. His stomach was churning and a small layer of sweat had formed on his forehead. He looked briefly at his watch and noticed that it was five minutes to five. "Boss, where's Kate?" he asked when he noticed that she hadn't yet returned. He tried to keep his worry hidden, but his voice was almost shaking.

"She's with Ellis, DiNozzo."

"So why isn't she back?" Tony pressed. He put his hands deep in his pockets so that no one would be able to see the slight tremors. Gibbs looked down at his watch and that was when it hit him.

"He's got her, DiNozzo. Ellis has got her."

Upon hearing those words, all three men took their weapons and hastily moved towards the door. "McGee, check the carpark. DiNozzo, check along the second floor. I'll take the first floor and speak to Coleman."

"On it, boss," both McGee and Tony replied. They sprinted down the corridor, McGee and Gibbs took off in the direction of the stairs. "Talk to me, DiNozzo," Gibbs said into his microphone.

Tony stood still outside the door of the room they had been using. He had two options; he could take the corridor on his left or the corridor on his right. "I'm going to the right, then I'll take the left," Tony replied defiantly. He set off to his right and began clearing each of the rooms, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Ellis' car is in the parking lot, Boss," McGee's voice came through loud and clear on the earpiece. "Sophia is in the backseat. There is no sign of Ellis or Kate."

"Shit!" Gibbs growled. He stormed into Coleman's office, ignoring the startled looks on the faces of the Petty Officer's that Kate was working with.

"Where is she?" He asked as soon as he was inside the office.

"Kate?" Faith asked, startled.

"Dammit! Where did she go with Ellis?"

"She took his things out to the car," Faith replied.

"It's Ellis. He's got her," Gibbs said, clutching his sig at his side. Faith stood up immediately and grabbed the sig out of her desk. She pointed to the monitor.

"There's no movement in that room," she said, referring to the room where the other two Petty Officer's had been found.

"That's because he knows we're here. He's not going to use those rooms. He knows who Kate is."

"We need to clear this whole building," Faith said. Together, they sprinted out of the office, oblivious to the looks they were getting from the officers in the room.

"I've got DiNozzo on the second floor. McGee is in the carpark," Gibbs informed her. "McGee!" he barked into his microphone. "Disable his car then get your ass inside to start clearing rooms."

"Yes, boss," McGee replied. He looked at Sophia in the backseat, sleeping peacefully. The five-month-old baby was unaware of the chaos that was descending around them.

McGee moved around and tried to open the hood of the sedan, but it wouldn't rise. Searching frantically for anything to assist him in opening it, McGee fumbled slightly. It was then he remembered his knife. He pulled it off his belt and slashed all four tyres. There was no way that car would be moving anytime soon. Putting his knife back in its sheath, he took off in the direction of the building. "Boss, I'm back inside. Vehicle is immobilised."

"Go and clear the deserted rooms where the other bodies were found," Gibbs ordered. "DiNozzo! What's going on up there?"

"I've cleared six rooms, boss," Tony replied as he quickly cleared another.

Gibbs ran up the stairs and joined Tony on the second floor and began searching rooms at the other end of the corridor. The Commander joined in the search and took over from Tony. "I'll take the third floor now," he said as he ran up another flight of stairs.

* * *

Whilst the chaos had descended upon the others, Kate was still with Ellis in his office, innocently helping him pack his things. She moved back over to the bookshelves and began slowly picking up the photo frames for him. She set them aside on the ledge and put them on top of each other. She had her back to the grieving husband and didn't even hear him walk up behind her. Before she even had the chance to fight back, he grabbed a hold of both of her hands and pushed her up against the shelves.

"Better make this quick," he growled into her ear as he slapped the handcuffs on her.

* * *

That's all I've got for now… I'd love to hear what you thought of it now that we know who the murderer is… first prize for the person who figures out WHY it is Ellis :-) Please review! 


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Kate tried to scream, but nothing came out. She tried to push against Ellis to escape his strong hold, but she froze when she felt the cold blade of a knife up against her neck.

"Let's enjoy this, shall we?" He hissed as he yanked on her hands and pulled her backwards. Kate stumbled in fear and fell heavily to the ground, the last place she wanted to be. Ellis stood menacingly at her feet, mirroring the position that her and Gibbs were in when they 'rehearsed' this in the gym two weeks ago.

"How could you do this?" Kate asked, trying to buy herself some time. She knew it would only be a matter of minutes until the Gibbs, Tony and McGee found her. In order for them to find her though, she knew they'd have to notice her missing first.

"Easy," Ellis retorted back, lowering himself to his knees, straddling Kate's thighs. She squirmed uncomfortably beneath him. With her hands cuffed tightly behind her back, there wasn't anything she could do. He leant forward and glaring evilly into her eyes, pressed the knife back against the side of her neck.

* * *

"Kate!" Tony yelled as he reached the top of the stairs. He looked to his left and his right and then back to his left, debating which way to check first.

"I guess we're going to have to speed this up a little bit," Ellis snarled when he heard Tony calling for Kate. He increased the pressure of the knife against the side of her neck and the only thing Kate could do was lie there. She knew that if she made a sound, she would be as good as dead because Ellis would just run the blade across her throat in one swift motion. She bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. 'Please Tony, hurry up,' she thought to herself.

Tony took the corridor to his left and began clearing those rooms. His shouts of "clear!" and "Kate!" were fading. Kate was in the opposite direction.

"Looks like we've got more time that I thought," Ellis remarked. "We can have a little bit of fun." He grinned down at her sickly and pushed her skirt up around her waist. "I was wondering where you were hiding that," he remarked smugly when he saw her NCIS-issue sig sauer strapped tightly to her inner thigh.

With his left hand still holding the knife to her throat, Ellis used his right hand to undo the holster and discard the weapon. He ran his hand lightly over her inner thigh and up her leg, coming to a stop at her hip.

Kate closed her eyes again in resignation as realisation set in and let a tear roll down her cheek.

* * *

"Boss, hurry and clear those rooms. There's the whole third floor to go," Tony said into his microphone.

"McGee!" Gibbs barked, "hurry and clear there and get up to the second floor to help Coleman clear it. I'm going up to Tony." Gibbs ran up the next lot of stairs and saw where Tony had just cleared. He'd finished clearing the entire left hand side and now began to clear the corridor he'd abandoned to search the other ones.

"Clear!" Tony shouted when he checked the first room.

"Clear!" Gibbs yelled when he check the room opposite.

* * *

"Looks like there is two of them now," Ellis said. "Let's get this show on the road." Kate groaned in desperation underneath him and he pressed the knife even harder into her neck. Blood began trickling down her neck and a sob escaped from Kate's mouth. Gibbs words echoed in her mind: "_you have not been beaten, Kate, until you have given up."_ Those were the words he had said to her when they had fought in the gym before she went undercover. She wanted to fight him to escape, but she couldn't; she was paralysed by an emotion she hadn't experienced in a very long time: fear.

"Is this how you like it, huh?" Ellis growled in a low voice. His hands moved to the buttons on her shirt and began undoing them roughly. He yanked her shirt out of her skirt and pushed her shirt open, exposing her upper body, clad now in only a simple white bra.

Kate blocked out what was happening to her and concentrated on the shouts she could hear from Gibbs and Tony. They were getting closer, she could tell, but they were still at least four or five rooms away. She could feel the blade of the knife against her neck, and a thick red liquid beginning to flow freely. Ellis bent down and kissed her roughly, letting his tongue invade her mouth as his right hand continued to roam over her body.

"I thought you'd fight back," he whispered against her lips when he pulled away. "But you're just lying there like a good little girl." Kate coughed and with the saliva that was in her mouth, she spat on him.

"You sick, disgusting pig," she said, her words coming out stagnated. Gasping for breath, she braced herself for what was next.

"I love a woman with spirit," Ellis remarked, not even moving his hand to wipe away the spit on his face.

* * *

Tony and Gibbs' voices were becoming louder now. Their shouts were clearer and more audible. And the louder their shouts became, the more Kate's anxiety grew. She couldn't see the door from where she was lying as Ellis was blocking her view of it. He has his back to the large wooden door, but they'd know as soon as someone entered. As her breathing became shallower, Kate felt her awareness slipping. She could feel Ellis' hands all over her, but the blood loss was causing her to lose consciousness.

Everything around her was beginning to blur. 'God, Tony, just get here soon,' she thought.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Tony appeared in the doorway. "NCIS! Freeze!" he shouted. Ellis looked down at Kate and smiled evilly. "Boss, she's in here," Tony yelled as Ellis continued playing with Kate's body.

Tony stepped into the room and with his gun trained on Ellis, moved slowly around so that he was standing at Kate's head. Tony's eye's flicked over Kate's exposed body, but he pushed that out of his mind as he focused his attention back on Ellis. "You won't get out of this one, Ellis," Tony snarled. Gibbs appeared in the door way and trained his gun on Ellis. He moved around to the right and kept his gun on the Naval officer straddling his female agent's thighs. He noticed that Kate's sig sauer was lying perilously close to Ellis, and he could pick it up with ease and fire at any of them.

It seemed that Ellis had that same thought and before any of them could react, he had Kate's gun in his right hand, pointed down at her head.

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. "Put the gun down, Ellis," Tony said coldly. "You won't get out alive."

"Who says I want to?" He snarled back. The gun was still aimed at Kate's head, but the safety catch was still on. Kate had her eyes closed and could hear the men in the room talking. She could feel the blood seeping out of the wound on her neck and the pressure of the knife seemed to be increasing.

"You have a daughter," Gibbs pointed out. "Just put the gun down." Tony and Gibbs remained focused on Ellis. They had to keep him calm. They had to do everything they could to make sure that he didn't release the safety catch on Kate's weapon. They also knew that they had to do it quickly. It was clear that Kate was losing blood from her wound and needed urgent medical attention.

"What good is it going to do? This bitch deserves it." Ellis said. Underneath him, Kate gasped in shock.

"Kate hasn't done anything to you," Tony tried to reason. "Remember? She looked after Sophia for you."

"She came here to find me. To put me in jail."

"You killed your wife and Petty Officer Stone," Tony said calmly. Ellis' grip on the gun loosed slightly.

"I had to," Ellis replied. He pressed the knife into Kate's neck further and she fought the urge to cough. If she coughed, the knife would go in further. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to focus on anything but the pain she was feeling. Her hands were cuffed tightly in metal handcuffs and she was lying on them, the metal digging into her lower back. "Those women were against me."

It didn't take long to distract him. Before they knew it, Ellis had removed the knife from Kate's neck and was waving it about carelessly. The gun, however, was still aimed at Kate's forehead.

"They were against me from the start."

"How?" Tony prompted.

"Marie, when she gave birth, she forgot about me. It was as if I didn't exist. All she wanted to do was sleep all day." Gibbs nodded his head and Tony caught the movement out of the corner of his eye; that was a symptom of her post-natal depression.

"But she had depression, Robert," Tony said softly, using his given name. "She was getting help. She was getting better."

"She wasn't getting better fast enough," Ellis exclaimed.

"Is that why you killed her?" Gibbs interjected. Ellis looked down at Kate and a tear slipped down his cheek.

"She found out." Ellis choked back a sob and his sudden change in temperament worried both the men. "She found out about Amanda and I."

"You mean Petty Officer Stone?" Ellis nodded his head solemnly.

"It's going to end now though," he whispered softly. He looked down at Kate evilly before removing the safety catch of her weapon.

Hearing the 'click' of the catch being undone was all it took for Tony. He wasn't going to take any chances; he'd already taken too many, and look where it had gotten them. Without hesitating, he fired two rounds into Ellis' right shoulder.

Tony knew that he was trained to kill, but he wanted to keep this bastard alive. He wanted to have the pleasure of watching him rot in prison for the rest of his life. He wanted Ellis to suffer.

The bullets passed through Ellis' shoulder and he slumped forward, releasing both his grip on the gun and the knife.

A cry of pain elicited from Kate as Ellis slumped forward over her. Gibbs kicked her weapon clear of Ellis and rolled him off Kate. He didn't care how much pain the man was in, he twisted his hands behind his back and cuffed him.

Tony, in the meantime, attended to Kate. He holstered his weapon and knelt down next to her. "McGee! We need an ambulance up here on the third floor," Tony said hastily into his earpiece. Little did he know, McGee and Commander Coleman were already halfway up the stairs to the third floor. Their earpieces had managed to pick up what was being said between Tony and Gibbs and so they had made their way up the stairs and began running when they heard two shots being fired.

Commander Coleman entered the room with her weapon drawn. She clipped it onto her holster immediately when she saw that the situation no longer required such an extreme level of defence.

"Kate, it's ok," Tony said as he put pressure on the wound on her neck. A groan escaped from her mouth and she coughed violently.

"Ribs," she managed to say, "my ribs." Tony looked down and noticed the large amount of blood on Kate's bare torso. At first glance, he thought it was from Ellis' shoulder wound, but when he looked closer, he could see that the knife had pierced her stomach.

"Dammit!" Tony exclaimed. "McGee! Put pressure on her ribs," he ordered. The knife must have jabbed Kate when Ellis fell forward when he was shot.

"We've got you now, Kate," Tony said whispering in her ear. Commander Coleman was assisting Gibbs with Ellis, who despite the blood-loss, was protesting violently. He held her head still and applied more pressure to her neck. "The ambulance will be here soon, Katie. Just hang in there."

McGee had both hands on Kate's ribs in an attempt to stem the blood loss. Kate squirmed in pain. Not only did both her stab wounds hurt, but the way she was arched back over her hand-cuffed hands was taking her pain past an excruciating level.

"Keys," she again managed to speak, "handcuffs." Her words were raspy and it was obvious that she was straining herself just to speak.

"Boss, I need to get these cuffs off her," Tony called out. Gibbs pushed Ellis up against the wall.

"Where are the keys, dirtbag?" Gibbs said as he held Ellis by the collar of his shirt. The shirt, which was once of a pristine what colour, was now a deep red, soaked in blood.

"Somewhere you'll never find them," he snarled. Gibbs pushed him further into the wall and Ellis groaned in pain.

"Try these, Tony," Faith said as she handed Tony a set of handcuff keys. "They fit most handcuffs held here on base."

Tony nodded his head in thanks. "Can you give us a hand?" He asked when he noticed Gibbs did not need any assistance with Ellis. "Kate, we're going to roll you over onto your side," Tony said as he took control of the situation. "McGee and I need to keep the pressure on her wounds, you need to roll her onto her right side and undo the cuffs," he said to Faith.

As a team, they rolled Kate onto her side, who screamed in pain the whole time. The Commander undid the handcuffs and moved Kate's arms so that they could roll her back again. She continued to scream in agony and tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"Shh, Katie," Tony said, removing one hand from her neck and running it through her hair. "Everything is going to be ok." He looked down at her half-naked form and felt her humiliation at being so exposed. "Commander, can you, ah, cover her up," he said, gesturing to her bare legs. Delicately, and without judgement, Faith lowered Kate's skirt from its position around her waist so that she was at least partly covered. Faith reached back up and took a hold of one of Kate's hands, squeezing it gently.

Gibbs man-handled Ellis and pushed him out of the room into the now-crowded corridor. People had obviously heard the gunshots and had come running. "Get out of my way!" Gibbs barked. "And let the EMT's through," he shouted even louder when he noticed two EMTs trying to push their way through the growing crowd.

Obediently, the crowd parted and the EMTs, wheeling along a gurney, walked over to Gibbs. "What's the situation here?" the male EMT asked. The younger, female EMT began looking at the wound on Ellis' shoulder.

"Don't look at him," he said gruffly. "My agent in there needs more medical attention than he does."

"Yes, sir," she said timidly. She looked at her superior officer and he gestured for her to keep moving. She grabbed a hold of the gurney and wheeled it into the room. Immediately, the male EMT took charge.

"Ok, what's her name?" He asked to no-one in particular.

"Kate. Kate Todd."

"Ok, Kate," he said as he knelt down next to her head on the opposite side to Tony. "My name is John, I'm an ambulance officer."

"No," Kate said as loud as she could. She began squirming vigourously. "No," she said even louder.

"We're here to help you," John tried to reassure her. She struggled against everyone who was holding her still, as blood continued to seep out of her wounds. "You've got to stay calm, Kate," John continued.

"Tony!" Kate wailed.

"I'm here, Kate, I'm here."

"Get him…" Kate began, before stopping to take a deep breath, "…away from me."

--

That's all I have so far. Please review... I'm going to need all the inspiration I can get coz I'm running out!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

"Kate," John said to her, "I'm an ambulance officer. I'm not going to hurt you."

"No," Kate said as forcefully as she could. She tried to sit up, but four pairs of hands on her kept her firmly on the ground. She coughed and grimaced in pain. John looked at Kayla, the junior EMT, and she knelt down next to him and began talking to Kate.

"Kate, my name is Kayla." Kate opened her eyes at the softly spoken voice. "I'm an ambulance officer. John and I are here to help you." Her voice had a calming effect on Kate and she seemed to relax to Kayla's voice. "We need to take you to hospital to get those wounds checked out, is that ok with you?" Kate tried to nod her head, but with the wound on her neck, she couldn't.

"Yes," she managed to say.

"To do that, I'm going to need John's help." Kate seemed to tense up at the mention of the male EMT's name. Tony, McGee and Coleman all exchanged a worried look before focussing their attention back on Kayla who was trying to reassure Kate that she was safe.

"No," Kate said, "not him."

"Kate, they have to take you to hospital," Tony said gently. "You may need a few stitches in that neck of yours." He smiled down at her, trying to lighten the situation. He didn't understand why she wouldn't let John help her. He seemed like a nice enough man. Maybe that was the problem: he was a man. "I'm going to be with you all the way."

Kate seemed to contemplate Tony's words for a moment. Her breathing was becoming more laboured, and if she didn't let them start working on stopping the blood flow, she was going to bleed out. "Ok," she relented.

"Alright," John said as he opened up his bag of medical supplies. Faith took a step back and let the EMTs do their job. Four people around Kate was enough. Once Kayla began working on the wound on Kate's ribs, McGee also stood back and watched on. John treated the wound on Kate's neck, using some surgical tape to close the wound before wrapping it with a bandage. He couldn't wrap it too tightly though, or else he would cut her breathing off. Tony scurried down a little bit to give John space to work and he took hold of Kate's hand.

After a nearly twenty minutes of working on Kate and stabilising her, she was ready for transportation. "Right, let's get her on the gurney," John said. "Agent…" he said, trailling off and looking at Tony.

"DiNozzo," Tony replied, never taking his eyes of Kate.

"Agent DiNozzo, right, I'm going to need you to give us a hand at getting her on there." Tony nodded and released Kate's hand slowly.

---

Outside in the carpark, Gibbs had handed Ellis over to another pair of EMTs who were dressing his shoulder wounds. "I need his handcuffs to be released, sir," one of the EMTS said to Gibbs.

"Not a chance in hell. He's not getting out of those cuffs until he's in a jail cell."

"But sir…"

"Do not 'sir' me," Gibbs barked at the EMTs. "You treat him like that." Gibbs folded his arms against his chest and leant against the side of the vehicle. The EMT threw his hands up in the air in resignation but continued working nonetheless.

"Bastard," he muttered under his breath.

"Yes, he is," Gibbs agreed.

"I meant you," the EMT replied coldly. Gibbs simply glared at the EMT before speaking into his microphone in his sleeve.

"McGee, I need you in the car park to accompany this scum to hospital."

Startled by Gibbs voice, McGee responded immediately, running out of the room, pushing his way through the crowd of military personnel that had gathered around the door, trying to catch a glimpse of the goings on.

"Faith, I'm going to need you down here too. Someone's gotta look after the kid for a bit."

Commander Coleman looked over at Tony who nodded at her to leave.

They EMTs were strapping Kate onto the gurney and packing up their medical supplies when Gibbs came bounding back into the room. "DiNozzo, stay with her," Gibbs said when he noticed they were ready to leave. "I'll process this room myself. Just go down to the office to grab me a bag."

"I'm not leaving her, boss," Tony said defiantly, gripping hold of Kate's hand even tighter. He didn't even tear his eyes away from Kate's face.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs warned.

"No, Gibbs. I'm not leaving her." Gibbs was shocked at the tone Tony had taken, but when he noticed Kate squeeze his hand, he gave up in challenging him on it.

"Do not leave this room until I get back," Gibbs said before tearing out of the room to grab a bag.

"Are we ready for transportation?" Kayla asked John.

"As soon as he gets back, we'll be able to go, is that right, Agent DiNozzo?" Tony nodded his head at John, his eyes still fixed on Kate. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep.

Tony moved up slightly and whispered in her ear. "Everything is going to be ok, Katie, you're going to be ok. We've got you now," were Tony's words. He ran his free hand through her hair and tucked a strand behind her hear. "We got the bastard, Katie," he said, "it's all over now."

Gibbs breathlessly entered the room only moments later, NCIS-issue backpack in hand. Whilst down in the office, he'd also put on his NCIS jacket and cap, staking his authority. He gave an NCIS jacket to Tony, who quickly let go of Kate's hand to put it on, before taking Kate's hand again.

"Are we clear to leave now?" John asked Gibbs. Gibbs nodded his permission and together, Kayla and John, with Tony's help, wheeled Kate out of the room.

"Stand back," John's voice bellowed as they tried to push their way through the crowd. "Out of the way!" He barked in a Gibbs-like manner. They made it to the end of the corridor where there was a service elevator big enough to fit the gurney.

"Which hospital?" Tony asked.

"Norfolk General Medical Hospital."

"Is she gonna be ok?" Tony asked John in a quiet voice as the elevator made it's way to the ground floor.

"She's got two deep knife wounds," John said. "I'd be more worried about the psychological effects." Tony finally tore his eyes off of Kate and looked up at John. His eyes darted between John and Kayla but neither two medics said a word. The doors opened and they made their way out of the building where Commander Coleman was standing with Sophia sleeping in her arms.

"Agent DiNozzo," she called to get his attention. Tony continued walking with John and Kayla but motioned for the Commander to follow. She quickened the pace and met them at the ambulance.

"We're taking her to Norfolk General," Tony said. "You might want to go up and give Gibbs a hand at processing the… scene." He faltered on the final word, not wanting to use that word in reference to what had just happened. "Tell him I'll be in touch," Tony stated as he climbed into the back of the ambulance before the doors closed.

Tony sat next to John in the back of the ambulance as watched on as the senior medic filled in several forms about the medication and treatment Kate had received upstairs. "John, tell me, is she gonna be ok?" Tony asked again. He ran his hand through Kate's hair soothingly. By now, her eyes were closed, resting. John paused and sat there thoughtfully before twisting to face Tony. He took a deep breath and exhaled before he opened his mouth to speak.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is," John said, before pausing. He tilted his head to the side and chose his next words carefully. "Am I going to have to ask the doctors to do a rape kit?"

---

Sorry about the lengthy time between updates, but I hope you thought it was worth it... please review and tell me what you thought...


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

The words hit Tony like a tonne of bricks and his eyes widened in shock. Kate had been sedated and was lying motionless on the gurney. "Um, ah, I don't know," Tony replied sadly. "She was with him for a while before we got there."

"I'll ask the doctor's to do one," John said, making a note on the forms. "It's better to be… safe than sorry."

Tony sat forward and put his head in his hands and John continued to fill in the forms so that the medical staff at Norfolk General would be up to speed on her medical condition. Once he'd finished the paperwork, John reached up and grabbed a tube of cream to apply to Kate's wrists where there were obvious marks from the handcuffs.

"We're about five minutes away, John," Kayla called from the front of the ambulance.

"Alright, let them know. She's going to need surgery to close these wounds, so have them organise an operating theatre."

The next few minutes all passed in a blur. Tony felt the ambulance come to a stop and he was ushered out quickly, running along side John and Kayla as several nurses and a doctor met them at the Emergency entrance.

"Female, early thirties, knife wounds to the neck and ribs," John said to the doctor as they ran along a corridor with the gurney.

"Kate, her name's Kate," Tony interjected. "She's a federal agent." Tony watched on helplessly as she was taken into a trauma bay where the Doctor and nurses began tending to her injuries. Tony flinched when Kate was hooked up to several IVs and then he almost collapsed to the floor in distress when Kate wailed as a nurse attempted to remove her blouse. John and Kayla, who were still there, transferring their notes onto the hospital file, noticed Kate's distress and Kayla immediately went to her side.

"Kate, its Kayla. You need to relax. You're at the hospital now and the nurse just has to take off your blouse so that she can get a better look at your injuries." As Kayla was talking to Kate and the nurse, John pulled the doctor aside and pointed to the notes he'd made in the ambulance when he'd been talking to Tony. 'Query sexual assault. Rape kit,' were the words written. The Doctor nodded at John and knew that they would have to approach this differently.

Throughout all of this, Tony just stood against the wall, unable to move. He wanted to help Kate, hold her hand reassure her that it would all be ok, but he knew he'd just get in the way of the doctors who were trying to save her.

"We need to get her prepped for surgery," the Doctor called out. "That neck wound is going to need surgery to close it." One of the nurses nodded and left the trauma bay to organise a surgery. "Sir?" the Doctor said, turning around to face Tony. "I need you to leave."

Tony looked at the doctor in disdain. "I'm not leaving her," Tony asserted.

"I'm sorry, sir," the doctor pressed. "I need to examine Miss…"

"Todd," Tony shot back.

"Right, I need to examine Miss Todd more closely. You're going to have to leave."

Tony knew that he wouldn't win this argument, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Tony also remembered that he was listed as her next of kin, so in the end, he was going to be the first one to find out anything. He'd learnt from the best, though, and Tony was not going to give up. He pulled out his badge and showed it to the Doctor. "I'm Special Agent DiNozzo. Agent Todd is to be kept under protection. Where she goes, I go."

The Doctor sighed. "We need to prep her for surgery and I need to do a few tests,"

"A rape kit," Tony added, "I know."

"So if you'll just wait on the other side of the curtain." The male doctor gestured to the opening in the curtain, willing the determined federal agent to step out. Begrudgingly, Tony left the trauma bay and waited outside. Kate was half conscious, and through the thin curtain, Tony could hear her crying and refusing to co-operate.

Tony stood there, hands in tight fists by his side, vowing to make Ellis pay for what he has done to Kate. The nurse that had left the room moments ago had returned and sent Tony a sympathetic look before she stepped back inside.

Spotting a row of chairs on the opposite wall, Tony walked over to them and sat down, placing his head in his hands. He could hear the nurses inside the cubicle talking to Kate, trying to keep her calm.

Minutes later, the curtain was pulled open and they began wheeling Kate out quickly. Tony was out of his seat in a flash, walking along side them. "Where are you taking her?"

"Surgery," one of the nurses said, "we've got to close those wounds."

"I'm coming," Tony asserted.

"You can't come into the theatre. You'll have to wait in the waiting area, just down the corridor to your left," she said hastily as they pushed Kate through large swinging doors that said 'Medical Personnel Only'. Tony threw his head back in frustration and watched until he could no longer see them on the other side. Sighing, he walked down the corridor where the nurse said there would be a waiting room.

The room was filled with uncomfortable looking plastic chairs, a water cooler, a machine that made terrible coffee, and a vending machine stocked with junk food. There were five other people sitting in there, flipping through magazines or reading the newspaper, and they all looked up and smiled at Tony before turning back to what they were doing.

Tony found a chair in the corner and sat down. The ringing of his cell phone shattered the silence and he quickly fished it out of his pocket and answered it it. "DiNozzo."

"Tony, it's Tim."

"McGee," Tony stated, "where are you?"

"Norfolk General. Ellis has been stitched up and is ready to go. It was just a through and through."

"Should have killed the bastard," Tony said harshly, causing the other occupants in the room to look at him in horror. "I'm at Norfolk General, too. In the waiting room."

"How's Kate?" McGee asked softly.

"In surgery at the moment."

"Surgery?" McGee questioned, stunned.

"Yeah, to close the wounds."

"Oh,"

"Call Gibbs, McGee, he'll have to organise someone to escort you back to DC with that scum."

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here with Kate."

"How will you get back to DC, then?"

"Get Coleman to drive my car over here, too, then. Gibbs has the keys to that."

"Right."

"Call me when it's all been arranged."

"On it," McGee said to Tony.

"And McGee," Tony added, "Don't let Ellis out of your sight. If he causes you any trouble, shoot him in the other shoulder. Don't even hesitate," Tony ordered the younger agent. He didn't even give McGee the chance to reply before he ended the call and snapped his cell shut.

Tony cast his eyes around the room and noticed that the other occupants were looking at him wearily. Sighing, he pulled his badge out and held it up. "Federal Agent," he said, justifying himself.

He saw some of them sigh in relief and the others roll their eyes. He put his badge back in his pocket and leant forward, placing his head in his hands.

He wasn't sure how much time seemed to pass; it could have been hours, it could have been minutes, Tony doesn't know, but suddenly a firm hand rested on his shoulder. "Tony," Gibbs said, bringing him out of his reverie.

"Have you heard anything?" Tony asked, panicked. "Have the doctors spoken to you?" Tony looked around the room somewhat disorientated. He stood up, smoothed his clothes out and began walking out the room in search of someone who could update him on Kate's surgery.

"Tony!" Gibbs called, standing up and walking briskly behind him. "I haven't heard anything." Tony stopped momentarily and glared at his boss. "I'm sure they'll let us know," Gibbs said, staring Tony down until he retreated.

"I'm her next of kin," Tony pointed out.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked. Although his voice was quiet because it was a hospital, there was no mistaking the authority he held. "You are a federal agent. Act like one. Go back to the waiting room and _wait_."

"Boss," Tony tried to debate.

"Tony, this is not up for negotiation." Gibbs' eyes bore down into Tony's and waited for the younger man to back down.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," A doctor said, walking up to them and effectively ending their argument. "I take it you are here with a Caitlin Todd?"

* * *

Sorry that's all I've got for the moment, and again, I apologise for the time between updates. I just hope you think it's worth the wait!


	27. Chapter 27

To all my loyal readers... I am back from the dead!! I apologize sincerely for the lengthy delay in getting this chapter up here (its been 18 months)... I just lost the inspiration to write NCIS fics... but over the weekend, it suddenly came back!

Thank you for all the reviews during the past year and a half- I have loved reading them and knowing there are still people out there who want to read this is very encouraging! You were my inspiration! THANKS!!

--

**Chapter 27**

"I'm Doctor Morton," the man stated, looked between Gibbs and Tony. "I operated on Ms. Todd. I'm wondering if you know how we can get into contact with a Mr. Anthony DiNozzo. He's listed as next of kin."

"That's me," Tony stuttered. "Is she ok? Can we see her? When will she be able to go home?"

"Let's go somewhere more private," Doctor Morton said, gesturing to small room to their right. Silently, Tony and Gibbs followed the doctor into the vacant room. "I'm sorry," Doctor Morton said to Gibbs, "are you family?" Gibbs shook his head and squinted at the surgeon. "Then I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Gibbs and Tony shared a determined look and they set their eyes firmly back on the doctor. "He's fine," Tony said numbly. "He can be here."

"Very well then," the doctor said, gesturing for them to sit down. When neither of the two agents moved to make use of the chairs, he sighed. "Mr. DiNozzo," Doctor Morton began, focussing his attention on the younger man, "Ms. Todd sustained numerous injuries in the incident. When she came in, she had two deep lacerations. One on her neck here," he said, pointing to his own neck, "and another just below her left breast."

Tony exhaled loudly. "I already know all of this," he exasperated. "I was with her when she came in." His last sentence was tinged with anger.

"Ah, right, I wasn't aware of that," Doctor Morton explained. He'd only operated on her; he wasn't the doctor that was in the trauma bay when she arrived.

"Well now you are," Gibbs interjected. "Tell me about my agent's condition."

Slightly startled by Gibbs' harsh manner, Doctor Morton stuttered a little before continuing on like normal. "The laceration on her neck nicked an artery and she lost a substantial amount of blood. We managed to repair that damage quickly in the surgery but what was of more concern was the wound on her torso. I believe Ms. Todd was stabbed?" He stopped and waited for confirmation of his assumption. When both men nodded mutely, confirming it, he continued. "The weapon, a knife I presume, went straight between her ribs and she was very lucky that it didn't pierce her lung."

"Is she going to be ok?" Tony interrupted breathlessly. So far, the doctor had talked about her injuries but hadn't said anything about whether or not Kate was ok.

"Ms. Todd is out of surgery now, and resting in recovery." Both Tony and Gibbs exhaled.

"So she's going to be ok?" Tony pressed.

"She's going to be fine. She's quite weak at the moment because she's lost a lot of blood and just undergone major surgery, but she will make a full recovery."

"Can I see her?"

"Not at the moment. Once she's woken from the anaesthetic you'll be able to see her." Tony slumped his shoulders dejectedly. "We'll be keeping her in here for a few days to monitor her, but I can't see why she can't go home by the end of the weekend. Once we have her settled into a room, I'll have a nurse come and get you and you can go into see her then." Gibbs nodded his head at the surgeon in thanks and Doctor Morton left, leaving the two agents alone.

Tony stood there in shock, staring blankly at the empty doorway. Never did he think he could ever feel so much fear for another person. A firm hand came down on his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"She's going to be ok, DiNozzo," Gibbs reaffirmed. Tony turned his head and looked at his boss.

"I let her get hurt, boss," Tony whispered sadly. Gibbs looked at Tony and didn't know what to say. The truth was that he was the one who put Kate into that situation. He was the one who let her get hurt, but he could never admit that to anyone. Gibbs saw the sad look in Tony's eyes and immediately removed his hand from the younger man's shoulder.

There would be no point in talking to Tony. He was going to blame himself for what had happened to Kate. Gibbs shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to get coffee. You coming?"

Tony looked at his boss, shocked. Gibbs had never offered him coffee before. "Ah, no thanks, boss," Tony managed once he had found the words. "I'll, ah, stay here, you know, in case she needs me." Gibbs stepped past Tony and left the room. "Boss," Tony called out when Gibbs was almost out the door.

Slowly, Gibbs turned around to face the distraught agent. "Where is that sick son of a bitch now?" Gibbs smirked slightly at the words that came from Tony's mouth.

"He's in custody."

Tony rolled his eyes at the typical response. "Is he still here in the hospital?"

"Yes," Gibbs confirmed. Tony pulled out his sig and checked it before pushing past Gibbs.

"I'm going to get that prick back for what he did to her. I'm going to put a bullet into his other shoulder. He's going to pay."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs shouted, racing to catch up to Tony. He grabbed him by the arm and swung him around. He was surprised at the pure rage he saw in Tony's eyes. "Kate wouldn't want you to do this."

"How would you know what she wants?"

"Trust me when I say this, DiNozzo," Gibbs began, his grip on Tony's arm loosening slightly, "she wouldn't want you to do it for her. She'll want to do it herself." Tony bit on his lip and re-holstered his weapon. Gibbs' eyes bore down on to him, scrutinizing him. "Tony," he said, "she needs to do it herself."

Sighing, Tony moved back into the waiting room he'd just spent the better part of the last five hours in. He sat back down in the same seat he'd sat in before and Gibbs sat down in the one to his left. Although he wanted coffee, he needed to make sure Tony didn't go and do anything stupid. One team member down was enough. He had to look after them all. It was his job.

"Thought you were getting coffee," Tony pointed out lamely after they sat in silence.

"I was," Gibbs responded, "but I'm not going to let you out of my sight. I'm dreading the amount of paperwork it would result in." Tony chuckled at Gibbs excuse.

"There's a coffee machine in the corner," Tony remarked.

"Observation, Tony, is the key in our job," Gibbs stated dryly.

"We did a great job of that today, didn't we?" Tony murmured harshly.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked. "We did our job."

"And look what it has cost us."

--

So... its been a while... please review and tell me what you think! I hope it still has the vibe it had in the other chapters! :)


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Gibbs and Tony sat silently in the waiting room for the better part of an hour and Tony was getting restless. He began shifting about in his seat, stretching his muscles in an attempt to stay awake. "Sit still, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. He tried to say it gruffly, but even he didn't have the energy to be tough at that hour.

"I can barely keep my eyes open," Tony pointed out, "it's two thirty in the morning." Tony stood up and began walking around the perimeter of the room. "Why haven't they told us anything? Why can't I go and see her?"

"Once she's settled in her room, DiNozzo." Tony rubbed the back of his head in frustration.

"Dammit!" Tony exclaimed loudly. The other occupants of the waiting room were looking between Tony and Gibbs, both wearing their NCIS jackets. "This shouldn't have happened, Boss," Tony said angrily.

"But it did, DiNozzo, so we have to deal with it." Tony turned around and faced Gibbs, anger burning in his eyes.

"This is your fault," Tony stated. His voice was full of anger, and Gibbs could see his clenched fists on either side of his body. "She wouldn't be lying in there, sexually assaulted and fighting for her life if it wasn't for you."

"Sexually assaulted?" Gibbs asked shocked. Nothing had been said about that.

"Yeah, you heard me, boss,"

"Outside," Gibbs ordered.

Together, Tony and Gibbs walked out of the waiting room and into the corridor. They pushed past several nurses and walked outside. The cold night air slapped them both in the face and they turned to face each other.

"She is a federal agent, DiNozzo. She was doing her job."

"Which you forced her to do."

"I didn't force her. I gave her the option to back out at anytime. If she didn't want to do it, all she had to do is say it."

"She couldn't, Gibbs! She couldn't tell you she didn't want to do the operation!" The two men stood facing each other, jaws locked in anger, fists clenched by their sides. The cold air was suddenly filled with a heavy silence. They were both breathing heavily, trying to maintain their composure. Neither of them could afford to be written up for assaulting a colleague.

The tense silence was shattered by the ringing of Gibbs' cell phone. Still fuming, he yanked the phone out of his pocket and held it up to his ear. "Yeah. Gibbs."

"Gibbs, it's Commander Coleman. How's Kate?"

"She's out of surgery," Gibbs said, his voice returning to its normal tone. Tony took a deep breath and retreated from his defensive stance knowing his heated discussion with Gibbs was over.

"How is she?"

"Doc said she'd be fine. We haven't seen her yet."

"I'm on my way to the hospital now. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Coffee," was Gibbs gruff reply before he snapped his cell shut and shoved it back in his pocket. Just as Gibbs' put his phone back in his pocket, Tony's phone began ringing.

"DiNozzo," he said without looking at the called ID.

"Tony, I'm back at headquarters with Ellis. Ah, what do you, ah, want me to do with him?"

"Stick him in an interrogation room and leave him there."

"Leave him there?" McGee asked incredulously.

"You heard me, Probie. Stick him in interrogation and leave him there."

"Ah, um, ok," McGee stammered, "how's Kate?"

"Out of surgery." Tony's response was short and in a Gibbs-like manner, he closed the call. Gibbs looked at him, demanding an explanation. "McGee has Ellis back at headquarters, boss," Tony stated. "He's in interrogation. Figured we could leave him there until it's time to interrogate him."

Gibbs cocked his head to one side and smirked at his younger agent. "Good work, Tony." Tony smiled widely at the praise, but wiped it away quickly. He looked down at his watch and groaned in frustration.

"She's been out surgery for hours now," he said softly. "Why can't we go in and see her?"

"She needs to recover, Tony."

"Should we call her parents?" Tony suggested. Gibbs seemed to ponder that question for a moment.

"Not yet," Gibbs responded. "Wait until she's woken up." Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet aimlessly on the ground. "Let's go back in," Gibbs said, breaking the silence that had descended upon them once more.

All the tense feelings from their previous argument were forgotten as they headed back inside, instead focussing their thoughts on their female co-worker who had just undergone major surgery.

--

Kate woke up very disorientated in the recovery ward just before four o'clock. She opened her eyes slowly and moved them around the room to figure out where she was. She heard the steady beeping of machines around her and saw a nurse sitting at the foot of her bed. Her lips were dry and her throat was patchy. Moaning slightly, she tried to sit up, but pain soared through her body.

Within seconds, the nurse was at her side. "Hi, I'm Paula, you're at Norfolk Western General Hospital. You've just had emergency surgery to stitch up your neck and your ribs." Kate nodded her head, unable to speak. "Just lie still, I'll go and get the doctor to come and check you out."

Feeling weak and helpless, Kate obeyed. She closed her eyes and didn't open them again until Doctor Morton entered the room along with Paula and the doctor who had been with Kate in the trauma bay when she first came in.

"Ms. Todd, I'm Doctor Morton, I operated on you. This is Doctor Barnes, he looked you over in the trauma bay when you came in." Kate closed her eyes tightly, willing all the memories of the trauma bay to go away. She knew what had happened down there; she knew the test they'd had to do and she felt so exposed.

Her mind tuned out from what the doctors were saying to her about her condition. They were talking about her wounds on her neck and on her ribs and how much time would be needed for them to heal, but she wasn't listening.

She tried to sit up again, but three sets of hands pushed her back down again. "You need to lie still," Paula's soft voice said. "You need to let your body recover."

Kate closed her eyes in resignation again, feeling powerless. She felt like she had when Ellis had cuffed her and pushed her to the ground. She moaned in despair and she felt a straw be brought up to her lips. "Take a sip," Paula said, holding a glass of water firmly in front of her. Doctors Morton and Barnes shared a concerned look from the side of the bed. Whilst Doctor Morton didn't know the circumstances which caused his patient's injuries, Doctor Barnes was well aware of them. He'd seen how Kate had acted when they brought her into the trauma bay, and then he had to perform a rape kit. Although neither of them were psychologists, they knew that Kate's physical injuries were superficial. The emotional ones ran deeper.

Paula removed the straw from Kate's mouth and placed the glass back on the side table. Finding her throat was more lubricated, she attempted to speak. "Home," her voice rasped, "I want to go home."

--

Thats it for another chapter... please review and let me know your thoughts on it - good or bad! Thanks!


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